The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) on Thursday said it has released over PHP15 million in livelihood and cash assistance to Cebuanos, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), in some northern municipalities of the province.
In a statement, DOLE-7 said Secretary Silvestre Bello III handed over the assistance on several occasions last week to the beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged /Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, livelihood aid recipients, and OFWs.
Accompanied by DOLE-7 regional director Salome Siaton and other senior officials, Bello visited the towns of Medellin, Sta. Fe, Madridejos, and Bantayan, where he released financial assistance to a total of 1,921 beneficiaries.
In Medellin, around 37 associations with 977 members benefited from the livelihood assistance worth almost PHP11 million.
The amount will fund the beneficiaries’ various livelihood projects such as motorcycle spare parts and repair; hog raising and marketing; chairs, tables and tent rental services; and muscovado production and marketing; among others.
In Madridejos, DOLE released PHP1.8 million that covered the salaries of 464 TUPAD beneficiaries; more than PHP400,000 for the salaries of about 100 TUPAD workers in Bantayan; and another PHP1.2 million for the salaries of 302 TUPAD beneficiaries in Sta. Fe.
Siaton said apart from the distribution of TUPAD salaries in Sta. Fe, DOLE also released the financial assistance of some 37 beneficiaries under the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) amounting to PHP185,000.
Siaton and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Hans Leo Cacdac assisted Bello in distributing cash aid and financial assistance to the pandemic-affected OFWs amounting to PHP510,000 under the OWWA’s programs and services – DOLE-AKAP, Tabang OFW and Project Ease, covering 41 beneficiaries.
Apart from the release of cash aid and financial assistance, DOLE held a business management and financial literacy training in Bantayan, participated in by 37 individuals coming from various workers’ associations.
Bello credited the DOLE’s programs and services amid the pandemic. (PNA)
