ILOILO CITY, July 1 (PIA) - - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 6 is strictly monitoring the compliance of private sector employers and employees in the region with the guidelines on the preservation of employment during the enforcement of quarantine measures to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“DOLE has issued an advisory that employers should notify the department in case they will implement permanent closure, retrenchment or alternative working arrangement,” said DOLE 6 Information Officer Niezel Ann Sabrido, in an interview over PIA Kapihan Regionwide radio program.
The guidelines on employment preservation upon the resumption of business operation contained in Labor Advisory No. 17 aim to assist employers resume their business operations while preserving the employment of their workers under quarantine arrangement.
Sabrido said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than a thousand private sector workers in Western Visayas.
She said that based on their Job Displacement Monitoring Report as of June 26, 2020, there are now 1,164 displaced workers in the region after their companies permanently ceased to operate or retrenched workers due to COVID-19 health crisis.
The DOLE 6 report indicated that 303 workers lost their jobs when 33 companies or establishments decided to permanently close their doors while some 861 more workers were displaced after 113 establishments reduced their work force.
Among the provinces in the region, Iloilo has recorded the most number of workers affected with 534, either due to retrenchment or closure of operation of establishments.
Sabrido cited three major reasons of closures that include loss of customers/clients, to save their companies from further or serious losses, and redundancy.
She added that the department is now preparing a menu of programs intended to help workers who lost their jobs and will complement the Balik Probinsya Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) program of the national government.
This is in addition to its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, a community-based package of assistance that provides an emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers, for a minimum period of 10 days, but not to exceed a maximum of 30 days,depending on the nature of work to be performed.
The program, which DOLE currently implements in partnership with the local government units, has two components - the TUPAD #Barangay Ko, Bahay Ko Disinfection/Sanitation Project (#BKBK) and TUPAD Post COVID Intervention.
In the region, displaced workers from the informal sector who qualified for the program get P395 per day for 10 days.
To date, DOLE 6 has already paid a total of P73,704,579 to 21,842 qualified workers under the TUPAD program.
Of the total number of program beneficiaries, some 11,975 availed of the #BKBK project and 9,867, availed of the Post COVID Intervention program. (JSC/laf/PIA6 Iloilo)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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