Displaced workers due to the coronavirus pandemic. Image from Facebook/Department of Tourism
MANILA, Philippines — Some 465,530 displaced tourism workers have been approved to receive a one-time financial assistance worth P5,000, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Saturday.
In a statement, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said the aid will be given through its cash assistance program with the Department of Labor and Employment. The funds will be sourced from the Bayanihan to Recover As One law, or Bayanihan 2.
“We are hopeful that this financial assistance will provide some relief to our most affected stakeholders and tourism workers during these difficult times,” Puyat said.
“While it may help in the short term, we believe that the best way to help stakeholders, in the long run, is to develop a tourism industry that is stronger, more resilient, and more adaptable to change,” she added.
Of the approved beneficiaries, the DOT said 450,202 workers were from 15,982 establishments, organizations, and associations nationwide while 15,328 were from individual applications.
The DOT has previously distributed the one-time cash assistance to 325,678 workers.
Some 139,852 approved applicants are still awaiting disbursement of the aid.