Over P2.3 billion disbursed to displaced tourism workers

MANILA, Philippines — Tourism workers displaced by the COVID 19 pandemic have received over P2.3 billion in cash aid from the government’s economic stimulus package, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has announced.

In a statement, the DOT said 465,530 employees of tourism establishments and groups nationwide have received cash aid worth P5,000 each, or a total of P2,327,650,000.

Of the total number of tourism workers, 450,202 were employed in 15,982 establishments, organizations and associations, while 15,328 were individual workers.

The bulk of the tourism employees, or over 61,000, came from the Calabarzon region, followed by the Mimaropa region with almost 57,000, Central Luzon with almost 56,000, Ilocos region with over 45,000 and Metro Manila with more than 39,000, the DOT noted.

The rest were from Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, the Visayas and Mindanao excluding the Bangsamoro region, it added.

The DOT said the government remitted over P1.6 billion to 325,678 workers through payment centers as of Wednesday, while over P699 million worth of funds have yet to be disbursed to 139,852 persons.

The funds came from allotments authorized under Republic Act 11519, or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 which mandates government spending for the country’s economy to recover and help families reeling from the effects of the panemic.

The passage of the law prompted the DOT and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to create a cash assistance program that ensures P5,000 worth of financial aid to every displaced tourism worker.

“While it may help in the short term, we believe that the best way to help stakeholders in the long run is to develop a tourism industry that is stronger, more resilient and more adaptable to change,” DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

BPO concerns

As the pandemic continues to take its toll on livelihood and personal condition, Sen. Leila de Lima is pushing for a measure aimed at protecting business process outsourcing (BPO) workers or call center agents.

“BPO workers continue to face overly stressful workload due to impossibly high-performance standards, inadequate restroom breaks, and sudden changes in shift schedules that take a serious toll on their health,” De Lima, chair of the Senate committee on social justice, welfare and rural development, said in filing Senate Bill (SB) No. 2149.

De Lima said the proposed measure would address the struggles of BPO workers that are not fully addressed by existing laws.

BPO is one of the fastest-growing industries in the Philippines with over 850 registered BPO companies.

De Lima stressed that the heaviest burden hounding the BPO workers is the lack of protection and support from the government.

De Lima recalled that when enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was first implemented in 2020, many of those employed by the BPO industry had to endure long walks under the scorching heat of the summer sun due to the failure of the government to provide for adequate transportation.

She also recalled reports of employees being put on a “floating status” temporarily and not entitled to compensation. Even DOLE has legitimized the practice.

Relief for MSMEs

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, for his part, said the government should exhaust all means to provide relief to pandemic-hit small businesses and put them back on track to prevent further job losses.

Gatchalian is pushing for legislation that would allow lowering the costs of borrowing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to encourage them to continue their operations.

He said MSMEs are the backbone of the economy, accounting for 62.4 percent of total employment and 99 percent of the total number of businesses in the country.

“It is disheartening to note that this year’s Labor Day celebration will be rendered inconsequential to those who were laid off temporarily or permanently and those receiving lesser pay because of reduced work hours following the coronavirus outbreak,” said Gatchalian.

He said the proposed Government Financial Institution Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economy Recovery (GUIDE) now pending in the Senate seeks to expand loan programs of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) and allows rediscounting of loans and other credit accommodations to those MSMEs in the construction, manufacturing, retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, accommodation and food service activities as well as farmers, fisherfolk and traders, among others.

He said GUIDE also seeks to streamline loan applications to ensure the speedy processing of loans for MSMEs.