Landslide victims to work for cash

Residents of Naga City, Cebu who were affected by the killer landslide Thursday last week will be given emergency employment by the Department of Labor and Employment.

DOLE-Cebu Provincial Field Office (CPFO) head Maria Grace V. Diaz said they have already started discussions with representatives of the city’s Public Employment Service Office and City Social Welfare and Development Office on the matter.

Affected residents will be given assistance under DOLE’s Emergency Employment Program called Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD).

"We are now actively coordinating with the PESO and the CSWDO in the city for the profiling of affected workers in the six barangays declared under the state of calamity,” said Diaz.

The profiling will cover individuals and families from Barangays Tinaan, Naalad, Mainit, Pangdan, Cabungahan, and Inoburan.

DOLE-7 regional director Atty. Johnson G. Cañete said the six barangays will be made priority for the assistance. According to Cañete, they have agreed to source out the data of beneficiaries from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office to avoid duplication of entries or names.

Cañete said each household is entitled to get one slot. He said an interview will soon be conducted by the DOLE Cebu Field Office to find out if the identified beneficiaries are willing to work under the cash for work program. All beneficiaries will be rendering work for 30 days at P386 a day.

They will be enrolled in a group micro-insurance for one year under the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and will be provided with personal protective equipment.

Under the Department Order No. 173, Series of 2017or the Revised Guidelines in the Implementation of the Department of Labor and Employment Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), beneficiaries may be employed for a maximum of 30 days and minimum of 10 days depending on the needs and nature of work.

“Workers could possibly render work at the designated evacuation centers where hundreds of families are sheltered or may help pack relief goods as options. For now, we are awaiting for the official list from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office. Once it's made available, then the DOLE would commence making its own profiling of workers for the implementation of TUPAD,” Cañete said.

TUPAD is one of the two components of DOLE's Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program.

FINANCIAL AID

Meanwhile, the Cebu City government is willing to extend up to P1 million financial assistance to the victims of landslide in the City of Naga.

Assistant City Administrator Annabeth Cuizon said they are just waiting for Mayor Tomas Osmeña to return from his official trip to Taiwan.

“Mohatag ta og financial assistance but subject for the approval of the mayor and recommendation sa mayor og pila kay as of now wala paman siya. So we will wait for him,” Cuizon said.

Cebu City, however, has been known to extend financial help to other local government units during calamities.

Cuizon said that during her initial discussion with Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, chairperson of the committee on budget and finance, she suggested to give P1 million for a specific project.

“Murag cash intended for a specific project…Naga will come up with a project proposal. We will ask what project the city can fund,” she said.

Cuizon said that if the mayor approved of the idea, they will ask Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head Nagiel Bañacia to immediately coordinate with the officials of Naga.

The city government is also doing a relief operation to help the landslide victims. Cuizon said they are set to turn over all donations to Naga City on Monday.

Councilor DavidTumulak, chairman of the council committee on information and communication technology, also said that the city government continues to offer basic services to Naga.

The city has also tapped the experts from the University of San Carlos to conduct stress debriefing for landslide victims.

Thereare also 13 cadavers out of 28 that were processed at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes for identification that are still unidentified as of this writing. Tumulak said those that were already identified had been brought back to Naga City. He said the Cebu City government paid for its transportation expenses.

The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process is conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation.—