Tourism industry workers urged to avail of CAMP cash aid

It’s the peak of the summer season and tourists are flocking to the country’s sandy beaches or cool mountain resorts. | INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) has urged workers in the tourism industry to avail the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).

In a virtual press conference on Friday morning, April 30, 2021, DOLE-7 regional director Salome Siaton said that the CAMP has been extended this year for workers engaged in the tourism industry.

Under the CAMP, employers who were affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic may avail of the P5,000 cash assistance.

According to Siaton as of March this year, the agency has only distributed P5,000 cash assistance to 370 employees from the tourism sector, which is already worth P1,585,000.

She added that this year, they are targeting to distribute the CAMP cash assistance to more than 27,000 employees from the tourism sector.

Siaton revealed that the region has around 300,000 tourism industry workers.

“We are taking this opportunity also to inform those who are in the sector of tourism, and tourism-related industries, yung mga affected natin sa mga transport, classified man sila as tourism-related, yung mga van operators, please yung mga employers nila mag-encode na sa reports.dole.gov.ph and mag-click sila ng CAMP,” Siaton said.

Last year, the agency has distributed P5,000 cash assistance to 113,716 workers in the region from the formal sector who were affected by the pandemic or a total of P568,580,000.

/rcg