Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) — Cash aid will continue for workers, even if the Labor Department’s financial assistance program has already been “maxed out,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on Friday.
He said regular, probationary, seasonal, project-based, and fixed-term employees of small businesses can receive help if they were affected by the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon or their region. To be eligible to claim, he clarified the employee shouldn’t have been able to work during the lockdown and thus did not receive any salary.
“(Dapat) aktibong empleyado sa nasabing small business hanggang March 1, 2020 ngunit hindi nakatanggap ng sweldo ng dalawang linggo o higit pa dahil sa pansamantalang pagsara ng negosyo,” he said in a virtual briefing.
[Translation: They should be current employees but did not receive their pay for two weeks or more due to interruption in the business.]
All eligible employees of small businesses shall be given a wage subsidy ranging from P5,000 to P8,000 pesos per month for up to two months, depending on the extent of the enhanced community quarantine.
Through the Finance Department’s Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) Program, 3.4 million employees of 1.5 million small businesses can receive aid. For workers in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon will receive P8,000. Those employed in Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Davao Region will receive P6,000. P5,500 will be given to workers from Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley. The government will provide P5,000 to employees based in Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen, Caraga Region, and Bangamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). It will be given in two tranches in May.
Nograles said the employees who were able to receive aid through the Labor Department’s COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) can receive more help.
“Kahit ang mga empleyadong nakatanggap ng ayuda mula sa CAMP ng DOLE ay maaari ring tumanggap ng ayuda sa SBWS, pero ayon sa DOF sila ay elibigle lamang para sa isang buwan,” he said.
[Translation: Employees who received help from DOLE CAMP can receive more from the SBWS, but they are only eligible to receive for one month.]
The Labor Department announced Thursday that it has suspended the acceptance of applications for financial assistance for formal sector workers as funding for it “is very close to being depleted.” It has been able to provide a one-time P5,000 assistance to 236,412 workers from 10,663 establishments, which it said is a total of ₱1.2 billion. It said it has yet to pay 85,563 more workers.
The Cabinet official said small businesses have to apply in order for their workers can receive help from the government. Employers can check their eligibility through the Bureau of Internal Revenue website and apply on the Social Security System website until April 30. Businesses who have fulfilled their BIR and SSS requirements will be prioritized, but the program will eventually be rolled out to all eligible small businesses.
