Saturday, May 1, 2021

Tourism workers’ turn to receive cash aid. Inquirer Newsletter May 02, 2021

MILKFISH CAPITAL Dagupan City’s street dances and “bangus” grilling parties have been canceled this year due to the pandemic, but the people are not exactly complaining as their fishponds continue to be blessed with a bountiful, tasty harvest. —WILLIE LOMIBAO

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Tourism workers’ turn to receive cash aid

By Marlon Ramos

The government has started the distribution of more than P2.3 billion in cash aid to over 465,000 workers in the tourism sector which had been crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said on Saturday.

“We are hopeful that this financial assistance will provide some relief to our most affected stakeholders and tourism workers during these difficult times,” Puyat said as the nation marked the annual Labor Day.

“While it may help in the short term, we believe that the best way to help stakeholders in the long run is to develop a tourism industry that is stronger, more resilient and more adaptable to change,” she said in a statement.

Of the funds allotted for the joint cash assistance program of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), she said P1.6 billion had been released to payment centers for 325,678 worker beneficiaries as of April 28.

The tourism secretary said the remaining amount would be disbursed to 139,852 more workers whose applications for cash assistance had been approved.

Among the recipients were 450,202 workers in 15,982 tourism-related establishments, organizations and associations while the rest sought the cash aid as individual applicants.

Most of the beneficiaries were from the Calabarzon region (61,392) and Mimaropa provinces (56,955).

The financial aid program also benefited 39,429 tourism workers in Metro Manila.

According to Puyat, each beneficiary from the tourism industry, one of the sectors hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, will get P5,000 as a one-time financial assistance.

She said Congress had earmarked a total of P3.1 billion for the program under Republic Act No. 11529, or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which President Duterte had extended to June.

“[The amount] will be sent [to the beneficiaries] through banks and other electronic payment providers,” Puyat told the Inquirer.

Under the program, workers in hotels, resorts, tour companies, sports facilities, zoos, museums, restaurants, entertainment centers, training centers and other DOT-accredited enterprises are eligible to receive financial aid.

Puyat said employees of community-based tourism organizations and other similar groups accredited by local government units were also entitled to apply for the cash assistance.

Employees who lost their jobs or whose work hours were reduced due to the pandemic are covered by the program.

Also marking Labor Day on Saturday, the Dole started inoculating 5,000 workers belonging to the A4 category, or the fourth priority front line group to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the national vaccination program.

They will include 3,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 2,000 from engaged in essential services such as transportation, wet and dry markets, food service, news media, education and certain government agencies.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III urged workers to get themselves vaccinated for free as soon as they were eligible.

“Please do not avoid the vaccine. It is the best way to fight COVID-19, do not waste this opportunity,” Bello said in Filipino during a labor day event.

In a speech, the labor secretary said Dole had prepared a masterlist of individuals to be vaccinated to ensure that all labor sectors under A4 were equally represented.

The Department of Health did not immediately respond to queries on whether all 5,000 individuals were vaccinated Saturday.

The vaccinations, which were also simultaneously held in Quezon City and Taguig, marks the first day of inoculating those in the A4 priority group.

Prior to Saturday, only health care workers (A1), senior citizens (A2) and persons with comorbidities (A3) were vaccinated.

The Dole also launched on Saturday that over 50,000 jobs from more than 600 different employers were available on the labor department’s online job fair.

During the opening ceremony of the online job fair called “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan” (TNK), Bello urged the public to take advantage of the job openings.

According to labor department data, there were 53,788 jobs in different industries that were available as of Saturday morning.

The top five employers participating in the online job fair are in government and in the manufacturing, government, textile, construction and business process outsourcing industries. WITH A REPORT FROM PATRICIA DENISE M. CHIU

Editorial

Protect our forest protectors

In January, about 200 of the 'bantay gubat' guarding the forested area of Ipo Dam watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan, refused to return to work after failing to receive their salary from September to December 2020. Given the work that they do and the risks they face, forest rangers are indeed unsung heroes, as Inquirer columnist Gideon Lasco wrote in a column in October 2019. But '… they are underpaid and outnumbered, receiving little support and protection even as they face threats of violence and death.' The climate crisis already at hand makes it even more imperative for the government to provide these environmental heroes the support and protection they deserve, in recognition of their indispensable work as guardians of the country’s remaining natural wealth.

Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net