Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 31) — The Department of Labor and Employment said financial help would be given to workers in the formal and informal sectors as quarantine measures stay in place as the country continues to fight COVID-19.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the department would extend assistance to millions of Filipinos who have not been able to go to work due to orders to stay at home.
Bello said, “Yung formal workers…ito yung mga may employer… Ngayon, many of these employees ay hindi nakapasok dahil naka-quarantine. Ito, dito papasok ang Department of Labor (and Employment). We will give them cash assistance of ₱5,000, one time po ito.”
[Translation: Informal workers…meaning those who have employers… Many of these employees have not been able to go to work because of the quarantine. Here is where the Department of Labor (and Employment) will come one. We will give them a one-time cash assistance of ₱5,000.]
To be able to receive the cash assistance, Bello said employers should prepare their payrolls “at the soonest possible time” and submit it to the DOLE. The department then said, those included in the payroll would receive the money 48 hours after the DOLE receives the list.
He clarified the money would be given to employers who would have the responsibility to distribute it.
Bello said there would be no criminal liability for employers who fail to distribute the money, only administrative charges.
“Let’s not talk about penalties. Ang pakiusap natin sa employers ibigay na at kailangang-kailangan ng mga manggagawa ‘yan [We are asking employers to give it to their workers because they really need it],” said Bello.
Should companies not want to give their payrolls, Bello said workers can file it themselves and the DOLE would send the financial assistance via remittance centers.
The Labor secretary also said informal workers would also be given financial assistance.
“Itong mga informal workers natin — more or less, ito yung self-employed, or kung hindi ito yung hindi regular, paminsan-minsan lang — as a means of assistance to them, we will ask them to work for 10 days and we will pay them the minimum wage,” said Bello who added there would be more help from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Bello went on to say the work to be given to informal workers would be the kind they would be able to do in their households.
“Doon sa bahay nila gawin. Maglinis sila at mag-disinfect sila. Yun lang, yun lang ang gagawin nila,” he said.
[Translation: They will do it at home. They can clean and disinfect. That’s all they’ll do.]
To avail of this help, barangay captains, mayors, and other officials should facilitate the applications of informal workers.
Bello said this would be implemented nationwide.
The Labor secretary said help would also be given to overseas Filipino workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19.
Bello said a one-time financial assistance of $200 would be given to them.
