367 Catanduanes workers get aid

By Connie Calipay

Some 367 displaced tourism workers in Catanduanes received financial assistance under the cash-for-work program of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In a statement on Tuesday, June 8, Carmel Bonifacio Garcia, the province’s Tourism Officer, said the beneficiaries received P5,000 each.

Some 118 other workers were also approved for payment while 10 are still under evaluation, she said.

The beneficiaries are employed either in the handicraft or food industry, transportation sector, farm tourism sites, art galleries, or salons and barbershops.

Garcia said the grant of financial assistance aims to help the displaced workers cope with the economic impact of the pandemic.

She added that the cash aid program is a product of collaboration between the two national government agencies pursuant to Sections 10(r)(2) and 10(h) of Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

“As we embrace the new normal, may we envision a future that is filled with hope and compassion,” she added. (PNA)