The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provided cash-for-work assistance to some 19,000 residents affected by the oil spill from a fuel tanker that sank off Oriental Mindoro last Feb. 28.
As of March 27, 19,895 individuals in Oriental Mindoro and Antique benefitted from the cash-for-work program of the DSWD, which aims to provide temporary employment to families, mostly fisherfolk, who have lost their source of livelihood due to the oil spill.
The affected residents identified by the local government units (LGUs) were deployed to take part in various activities, such as collection of locally available materials for the construction of improvised oil spill booms and absorbents; establishment of barangay or backyard gardens; rehabilitation of mangroves; and management of community cleanup drives.
Some beneficiaries also assisted in the loading and unloading of family food packs.
In exchange for the work done, the participants are given cash by the DSWD to meet their basic needs, such as food and water.
Each participant will receive an amount equal to their daily regional minimum wage.
The beneficiaries from Oriental Mindoro received their wages for the first five days of work worth P355 per day, while it gave those from Antique their wages for the first 10 days of work worth P450 per day.
So far, at least P3.1 million has been disbursed to cover the first batch of beneficiaries in the municipalities of Bulalacao and Pola in the province of Oriental Mindoro and the municipality of Caluya in the province of Antique.
Meanwhile, following the directive of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the department is currently working on extending the implementation of the cash-for-work program in the affected areas—from 15 to 45 days.
It said that it is finalizing the budgetary requirements for the extension of the program.
The initial funding for the implementation of the program comes from the quick response fund of the DSWD.
The DSWD is also currently processing the download of funds to LGUs in Batangas for the implementation of the cash-for-work program for 2,000 beneficiaries to be deployed within 15 working days.