Workers affected by Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila and other areas can start filing their applications for a P5,000-cash assistance from the government on Monday, January 24.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) confirmed that it will start accepting the applications starting next week.
DOLE Assistant Secretary for the Employment and General Administration Cluster Dominique Tutay said workers who lost their jobs due to the closure of their companies, and workers who were suspended because their companies were affected by the said alert level are qualified for cash assistance.
The official earlier said around 200,000 formal sector workers who were displaced by the implementation of Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila and other areas in the country will benefit from the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) of the DOLE.
She, however, clarified that under the CAMP, workers with flexible work arrangements will not be included as beneficiaries of the one-time cash incentive.
As of January 15, Tutay said there are over 2,000 employees affected by temporary closures under Alert Level 3.
Companies or individual applicants may file their applications through the DOLE online application system (reports.dole.gov.ph).
Based on its data, DOLE said workers in the administrative and support services, manufacturing, construction, food and accommodation, and other services were displaced.
The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) meanwhile said it is appealing for the public’s understanding of the apparent delay of the processing and releasing of claims by workers who contracted COVID-19 while performing their duties.
ECC executive director Stella Banawis said: “We are asking for the public’s understanding as there are many factors why the applications could not be processed immediately.”
Banawis said the ECC’s own workforce has also been affected by the pandemic, and thus its operations have also been affected.
Compensation claims related to COVID-19 take two months to process, Banawis said.
