333 displaced workers get paid

THE 333 DISPLACED workers of Vitarich Dressing Plant in Barangay Tugbok have already received their first salary under the government’s cash-for work program.

Each of the workers received P5,940 as their first pay on Friday.

The Vitarich workers were hired under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) program after they lost income when the dressing plant was shut down by the city government for operating without a business permit.

DOLE XI regional director Raymond Agravante said the “displaced workers were given minimal works in their barangays.”

“They were given the minimum salary of P395

per day under the cash-forwork program of DOLE. Their work is very minimal like cleaning the barangay hall or maintaining the cleanliness of the streets,” he said.

The Public Employment System Office (PESO) will match them their skills or qualifications with job opportunities after 90 days when the program ends.

“We have 333 workers of Vitarich but our beneficiaries for the first phase are 358 which includes the immediate family members of the employees,” said Norman Baloro, spokesperson of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) workers.

Baloro said that more family members might be taken in during the second round of the cash-for-work grant, depending on the budget that the DOLE management will allocate.

Vitarich workers will continue to work under the program until the end of the year.