Ayuda eyed for workers displaced by quake

MANILA, Philippines — A one-time cash grant may be given to workers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) who lost their jobs after a magnitude 7.0 quake struck Northern Luzon last week.

Nathaniel Lacambra, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-CAR director, is pushing for an earthquake adjustment program similar to what the government implemented when the COVID pandemic struck in 2020.

At the height of the COVID pandemic, the labor department granted a cash assistance of P5,000 to displaced formal workers.

In Abra alone, Lacambra said 21 commercial establishments with 426 workers remain closed due to the quake.

He said livelihood aid instead of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced at Disadvantaged Workers or the TUPAD program should be provided to displaced workers. He said TUPAD provides employment for a minimum pay of P400 for only 15 days.

The DOLE-CAR office has released P8 million of the P25 million budget allocated for TUPAD to quake victims.

Lacambra said DOLE is also implementing the Special Program for the Employment of Students and internship opportunities to qualified beneficiaries from quake-affected areas.