Over 520,000 pandemic-displaced tourism sector workers have finally received their cash aid from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
In an online news briefing on Monday, DOLE spokesman Rolly Francia disclosed the agency had released P2.6 billion worth of the financial assistance for the beneficiaries of their Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) for the tourism sector.
Under CAMP tourism, qualified beneficiaries will be given a P5,000 cash aid using the P3.1-billion funds allocated for it from the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
“We still have 215,000 applications [for CAMP tourism] under consideration or for processing to benefit from the remaining P500 million balance [of CAMP tourism],” Francia said.
DOLE finally ended on Monday accepting more applicants for the said program after reaching its “maximum” number of beneficiaries.
“The department has reached the target beneficiaries and is currently evaluating and processing payment of the remaining applications,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in the one-page issuance.
CAMP tourism is an offshoot of the CAMP of DOLE, which aims to benefit formal sectors workers, who were displaced during the pandemic.
DOLE already completed the implementation of the program using P8.47-billion Bayanihan 2 funding, which benefited 1.76 million workers.
Francia said the program may get additional funding under the pending Bayanihan 3 bill in Congress.