Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) — A fresh shutdown of most businesses in Metro Manila and select areas meant another two weeks of no income for thousands of displaced workers.
The National Economic and Development Authority estimates an additional 600,000 people lost their jobs after Metro Manila, Laguna, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City and Bataan were placed under enhanced community quarantine. Movement restrictions have also been tightened in other cities and provinces experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The Department of Labor and Employment said it wants to offer a one-time assistance worth ₱5,000 to displaced employees in the formal sector, but funding remains the issue.
“These are the movers of the economy – kung wala tayong workers, hindi gagalaw ang negosyo. ‘Pag di gumalaw ang negosyo, hindi gagalaw ang ating ekonomiya [if we don’t have workers, businesses will not prosper. If businesses don’t flourish, our economy will stagnate],” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a Monday briefing.
“Hindi natin pwedeng pabayaan ‘yung ating mga manggagawa [We cannot abandon our workers],” Bello added.
On Aug. 3, DOLE asked for an additional ₱2 billion from the Department of Budget and Management to fund the cash aid for formal sector workers who cannot go to work in the next two weeks, but the agency has yet to approve the request.
Budget Undersecretary Tina Canda said DOLE is still sitting on some ₱12 billion from its regular budget, but labor officials say that fund is now at less than ₱4 billion.
“Evidence-based naman ang release namin, so all they have to do is submit their financial reports, certify it then we release depending on our analysis,” Canda said in a text message. “Hindi naman pwedeng assertion lang nila [We can’t just rely on their mere assertion]. We need the report on utilization.”
Until this is resolved, cash aid for workers are in limbo. For M.J. Ompad, that means no income for the next two weeks and possibly even longer.
She once received DOLE aid through her previous employer, a beauty products company, during last year’s ECQ. She was laid off months later and resorted to online selling of clothes and bags to keep her family of four afloat.
Ompad was hired by a five-star hotel just this month. But right before her first day of work, the new lockdown was announced. “Eh ‘di tengga na naman [And so, I’m unemployed again],” she told CNN Philippines.
“Hinihintay ko na lang ding matapos ‘yung lockdown tapos siguro, papasok na rin kami… Siyempre ang business hindi naman laging malakas. Iba pa rin ‘yung kapag may work ka, makakaipon ka at malaking tulong talaga siya para sa mga may pamilya.”
[Translation: I’m just waiting for this lockdown to end so I can finally report to work… Business isn’t always good. It’s still better to have a full-time job so I can save up and support my family.]
Jesse Jamero, a factory worker, shares a similar plight. He was told not to report for work after his child fell ill. He was asked to either stay home for 14 days in quarantine or secure a clearance from a local health unit.
Cashier May Ann del Rosario also said she was forced to go on rotation duty that cut her income by half. She has resorted to selling food outside their home to make ends meet.
Budget Assistant Secretary Rolando Toledo said DOLE’s special budget request will still be evaluated and will be up for President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval.
Meanwhile, workers like Ompad, Del Rosario, and Jamero will have to wait for help which may or may not come.
READ: Firms urged to provide cash aid for displaced workers
