The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday announced that it would start giving cash assistance under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) to both local and overseas workers affected by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic next week.

“We expect that the budget will be given or downloaded to the DOLE so that next week we are now poised to implement forms of assistance for our countrymen,” Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said in a virtual forum.

Benavidez added that the cash assistance would be given in the form of programs such as TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers), emergency employment, or one-time financial assistance through CAMP (Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program) and AKAP (Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong).

Under Bayanihan 2, the DOLE would get PHP13 billion to finance these programs to help the formal, informal employees and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were displaced due to the pandemic.

Earlier, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they are asking for the initial release of PHP8 billion to be able to start the giving out of the financial aid.

The amount would be divided to PHP3 billion each for TUPAD and AKAP and PHP2 billion for CAMP.

Around two million workers are expected to benefit from TUPAD and CAMP.

As for displaced OFWs, the target recipients for AKAP are 250,000.

The CAMP provides a one-time cash subsidy of PHP5,000 to formal sector workers while TUPAD beneficiaries were given emergency employment and were paid the minimum wage prevailing in their respective areas.

The assistance to OFWs under the AKAP is a one-time PHP10,000 (USD200) cash assistance.

Beneficiaries are overseas and stranded in the country displaced by the pandemic. (PNA)