The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is implementing emergency employment for informal workers in areas severely affected by Typhoon Odette, an agency official said Thursday.
According to Karen Trayvilla of the DOLE-Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, about 25,000 workers in Calabarzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga will benefit from the program.
He said Eastern Visayas started their emergency employment on December 17, while it started in Northern Mindanao on December 20.
Beneficiaries will be employed in the rehabilitation and recovery effort concerning Odette. He said they would help repack relief goods and clearing operations on the roads.
Employment can take 10 to 90 days, Trayvilla said.
“Pag-deliver po ng mga relief goods, repacking ng relief goods. Puwede din ho tayong tumagal ng 45 days, pagsasaayos naman po ng mga baradong kanal, paglilinis ng kapaligiran pagkatapos ng kalamidad. At puwede tumagal ng 90 days para makatulong tayo doon sa pag-aayos ng mga daan,” said Trayvilla.
About P100 million has been allocated for the program.
The DOLE has separate assistance for workers in the formal sector, but it allegedly ran out of funds.
Therefore, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello IIII, formal workers will also be accepted into the agency’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
DOLE gives emergency employment in typhoon-hit areas
Bello also said that the DOLE would allocate P20 billion for emergency employment next year.
According to the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the death toll from last week’s Odette disaster has risen to 258.
Meanwhile, aid is gradually reaching areas in Eastern Visayas that are inaccessible to vehicles, the regional office of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Thursday.
Eastern Visayas was one of the areas devastated last week by Typhoon Odette, the strongest typhoon to enter the country in 2021.
According to Lord Byron Torrecarion of OCD-Eastern Visayas, aid has reached areas that are difficult to access with the help of the Philippine Air Force.
The Philippine Coast Guard will also return to the area to deliver materials and water to residents.
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