CHED to give P30K to college kids of OFWs affected by pandemic

College children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who died or displaced due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will receive P30,000 educational assistance from the government.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) launched the Tapang OFW Program, which offers one-time cash aid to children of OFWs who are going to college, Chino Gaston reported “24 Oras.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The government has allocated P1 billion to fund the program that would benefit around 30,000 OFW beneficiaries.

DOLE and CHED target to start distributing the educational assistance beginning October once the list of qualified OFWs is finalized.

Labor and Employment Undersecretary Dominique Tutay said that officials would meet to check the list of qualified dependents from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

ADVERTISEMENT

“Initially po kasi, out of the 500 profiles for instance na ibinibigay sa amin ng mga returnees, nung sinala namin, may mga dalawang daan lamang po ‘yung qualified,” she said.

“So we want more profiles to be submitted by OWWA to the Department of Labor and Employment,” she added.

Also read: CHED rejects academic freeze appeal

ADVERTISEMENT

CHED to give P30K to college kids of OFWs affected by pandemic

To qualify for the cash aid, the dependent must prove that he is enrolled or planning to enroll in any college or university accredited by CHED.

According to the latest report of OWWA and DOLE, more than 200,000 OFWs were sent home to the Philippines since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education and CHED earlier said they are finalizing the guidelines on distributing cash aid to displaced workers in the education sector.

During the Senate hearing on ’s 2021 budget, its officials said they would issue a joint memorandum circular for the distribution of P900 million COVID-19 cash assistance contained in Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2.

According to DepEd Undersecretary Jess Mateo, teaching and non-teaching personnel affected by the pandemic can receive up to P5,000 in aid.

He also said that those in elementary schools would be given priority because it is said to have the highest number of 865 private schools closed due to the pandemic.