About 1.9 million workers, including overseas Filipino workers, are expected to benefit from the additional budget allocated for assistance programs under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Friday.
Bello bared during a televised press briefing that they expect to provide assistance to one million informal workers, 700,000 formal workers, and 200,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
“Mabibigyan na namin ng cash assistance 'yung mga empleyado na nag-apply noon na hindi naabutan dahil naubusan kami ng budget (We will be able to provide cash assistance to employees who were not covered before as we ran out of funds),” Bello said.
“But now, with the additional budgetary allocation, we expect to service at least 700,000 formal workers, almost one million informal workers, and 200,000 OFWs,” the Labor Secretary added.
The almost one million informal sector workers will benefit from the emergency employment program or Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
It is a program for informal sector workers, where they engaged in emergency employment and were paid with the minimum wage prevailing in their respective regions.
The 700,000 formal sector workers, on the other hand, will benefit from the fresh funds under the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP), a one-time financial support of P5,000 to COVID-19 affected workers in private establishments.
OFWs will benefit from the additional budget from Congress for the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) Program that provides P10,000 cash aid to qualified OFWs affected by the pandemic.