DoLE rolls out aid for college-level OFW dependents

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment ( DoLE) will be rolling out its cash assistance program for college level dependents of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on Wednesday, DoLE said application is now open for its “Tabang OFW” grant to college students. The program, to be implemented through the Labor department’s regional offices, has a total allocation of P1 billion, with each beneficiary to get a one- time P30,000 cash aid. “The assistance is on a first- come, first- serve basis that is why we advise our OFWs to apply at our regional offices this early. They will facilitate the preparation of payment, including the release of the financial benefit to the grantees,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said. The grant is open to college students who are financially dependent on OFWs who were displaced or repatriated due to the coronavirus crisis. The beneficiary must be currently enrolled in a tertiary institution. Tabang OFW will cover the beneficiary’s “textbooks or learning materials, academic and extra- curricular expenses, and stipends including board and lodging, clothing, transportation, health or medical needs, and school supplies.” The DoLE program is in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education.