DOLE seeks P200M to fund emergency support for workers

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has requested the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for an additional P200million fund that could be tapped for emergency support for workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, in a letter addressed to House Ways and Means committee Chairman Joey Salceda, said the P200 million for Adjustment Measures Program (AMP) fund is pending with the DBM, while other funds from DOLE’S Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) can also be realigned for assistance measures.

“We realized that unemployment and underemployment remain a challenge even before the pandemic, today and beyond,” Bello said.

In the 2021 National Expenditure Program, Salceda also said there are items for Livelihood and Emergency Employment program amounting to P11.14 billion.

“We also found some funds that could be used for more labor assistance…,” Salceda added.

Salceda also said he has secured the commitment of the DOLE to engage in dialogues with the “Build, Build, Build” agencies, which the lawmaker offered to facilitate.

“We are capitalizing on long-kept personal relationships with several members of the Cabinet to find working solutions for our employment situation. Secretary Vince Dizon [president and CEO of Bases Conversion and Development Authority] and Secretary [Silvestre] Bebot Bello are, separately, my friends. If we bring their initiatives together, Build, Build, Build will also mean ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs,’” said Salceda, who is also vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

For his part, Bello said that “DOLE welcomes and accepts the proposal of the Honorable Representative to facilitate conversations for the prospect of greater collaboration with the BBB committee.”

“Our belief is that BBB will be a prime mover in generating jobs,” Bello added.

Bello also said that DOLE is working on unifying all of DOLE’S hot lines into one consolidated labor hot line.

“Our plan for 2021 is to ‘bundle or unify’ all the hot lines of the DOLE to have fast and easy access for local and foreign employment,” the labor chief told the lawmaker.

“A plan to outsource technical support in terms of monitoring, tracking, and assessment of calls,” Bello added.