The cash aid application of some 143,000 workers in the tourism industry has been approved, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced on Monday, April 12.

DOLE-Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) Dir. Dominique Rubia-Tutay made the revelation during a joint virtual press conference with the Department of Tourism (DOT).
"Mayroon pa tayong 143,000 na tourism sector-related workers po na na-approve yung kanilang application at ito po ay babayaran. Pina-process po ang kanilang payment (We have 143,000 tourism-related sector workers whose applications were approved, thus they will get paid. We are processing the payment)," Tutay said.
The "ayuda" or financial assistance will be given via DOLE's COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) for the tourism sector. CAMP provides for a one-time cash aid of P5,000 to each beneficiary,
"This is close to P800 million in amount," Tutay said of the impending disbursement for the 143,000 workers, which come from all over the country.
Meanwhile, the DOLE official also bared that the agency gave CAMP assistance to 8,000 tourism sector-related workers in "NCR-plus" during the first week of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the area. She said the agency has yet to tally the beneficiaries during the second week of ECQ.
NCR-plus refers to the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) and the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal. The area was under ECQ--the strictest lockdown protocol against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)--from March 29 to April 11.
DOLE Sec. Silvestre Bello III and DOT Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat were also on hand during the virtual event.
"We encourage more affected tourism workers to apply for the assistance, especially those affected by the Metro Manila, and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. The labor department, in cooperation with the DOT will continuously provide assistance to our beloved workers in the tourism sector. We will never falter despite the increasing odds brought by this pandemic," Bello said.
"Rest assured that DOLE will always give its full support to our workers in need.
In the coming months, as we start to put our economy on its track, we hope that our tourism stakeholders will get back on their feet, stronger than before," he added.