The Department of Tourism-6 is calling on tourism establishments and associations in Western Visayas affected by the pandemic to avail of financial assistance under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.
The DOT-6 said it is still accepting applications for endorsement to the Department of Labor and Employment-6 for the cash aid as part of the government’s response to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis to the Philippine tourism industry.
“We are pleased to inform you that the DOT-DOLE Joint Memorandum Circular granting financial assistance under Bayanihan Act 2 is still in effect,” it said in a Facebook post.
Those qualified to apply are affected tourism enterprises, community-based tourism organizations, tour guides and their associations, and tourism support services.
During her visit to Negros Occidental and this city on January 19, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said she wants more tourism workers to avail of the one-time financial assistance of P5,000 each under the DOLE’s Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program.
Romulo-Puyat and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III signed JMC 2020-001 on the implementation of the program.
In Western Visayas, some 10,180 displaced tourism workers have availed of the cash aid, amounting to P50.9 million as of January 13.
A total of 1,754 beneficiaries were from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental with a paid out amount of P8.7 million.
Romulo-Puyat also said through the Small Business Corp., the DOT would be able to provide working capital loans for small tourism enterprises, with a loan term of up to four years and a grace period of up to 12 months, with zero interest rate.
“The tourism industry will just re-start and these enterprises have no income yet,” she added. – NLG
