Over 15,000 permanently displaced workers in Metro Manila are now seeking certification from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to avail of their unemployment benefits.
In a phone interview, DOLE-National Capital Region director Sarah S. Mirasol told BusinessMirror they were only able to process 5,000 of the said applications for certification for involuntary separation due to their limited workforce.
Currently, DOLE-NCR is operating with a skeletal workforce to ensure social distancing measure will be complied with.
“Because of the sheer number of [applications], our limited workforce cannot immediately keep up,” Mirasol said.
The certificate is a requirement by Social Security System (SSS) before it could process the unemployment benefit of its members.
On Thursday, the complaints of some of the applicants reached Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who said it was already being addressed by Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III. “We know the workers need the certificate to get their different assistance so [its release ] is now being fast track,” Roque said.
Mirasol said she already issued instructions to their personnel to ensure that all of certifications will be processed within 48 hours after being filed in compliance with government anti-red tape regulations.
The number of workers is expected to increase as NCR registered a spike in the number of displaced workers this month.
As of June 22, 2020, 45,046 workers, who were employed by 1,124 companies became jobless amid the protracted businesses disruptions caused by the government-imposed community quarantine in NCR to contain its rising novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases.