The first batch of informal sector workers and freelance workers affected by the enhanced community quarantine on Thursday received financial assistance from the Ilocos Norte government through the Ilocos Norte Trade and Investment Center (INvest).
Among the recipients of the PHP5,000 cash assistance were 68 workers from the different barbershops, salons and spa clinics, sports and fitness centers, massage parlors, gyms, playgrounds, and rides in Laoag City and the municipalities of San Nicolas and Pasuquin.
With the ongoing oil crisis and the surging prices of basic commodities, a salon worker like Amie Salvador said she is grateful the provincial government is extending financial assistance to owners and employees of small businesses, as well as idle daily wage earners, through the “Payout now, work later” scheme program.
“This is a big help for us as we have been struggling to make ends meet since the start of the pandemic,” she said in an interview Thursday.
Gina Mabazza of San Nicolas town, meanwhile, tried selling fish and cooked meals for laborers near her beauty parlor in Laoag City when her shop closed down due to the hard lockdown. She said you need to become a “jack of all trades” if you wish to survive in times of pandemic.
According to INvest, the 68 informal workers who received their payout on Thursday were among the first batch of applicants for this year’s Livelihood Assistance Program for the informal sector. A total of 432 beneficiaries are expected to receive their PHP5,000 cash assistance in the coming days covering the different towns of Ilocos Norte.
During the payout distribution held at the Capitol Bonsai Garden, Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos assured the beneficiaries that the government is doing its best to help in the economic recovery of all sectors in view of the pandemic.
For other interested individuals who may wish to avail the program, INvest said qualified individuals may visit their office at the Provincial Capitol Building, Laoag City or contact them on Facebook: INvest Ilocos Norte.
Last year, the Ilocos Norte government allocated PHP15 million for its cash-for-work program, benefiting hundreds of daily wage earners who could not go to work due to quarantine restrictions. The first batch of beneficiaries in 2021 included public transport workers, like tricycle and jeepney drivers. (PNA)
