Some 424 employees of three bioethanol plants in Negros Occidental received a total of P2.8-million cash assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment through its Social Amelioration and Welfare Program-Adjustment Measures Initiative.
The recipients included workers of Roxol Bioenergy Corp. in La Carlota City, San Carlos Bioenergy Corp. in San Carlos City, and Victorias Milling Company in Victorias City.
In a statement, DOLE-Western Visayas Regional Director Cyril Ticao said the financial assistance provided income augmentation and additional cash support to bioethanol workers affected by the adoption of either flexible work arrangements or temporary closure during the enhanced community quarantine amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Each qualified beneficiary, who had not received financial assistance from any government agency or the local government unit, was provided a one-time cash aid of P7,000.
An equivalent to a fraction of the said amount was also given to those who have received such assistance that does not exceed P7,000.
Mary Agnes Capigon, head of DOLE-Negros Occidental Field Office, said the three companies identified the beneficiaries affected during the implementation of flexible work arrangements or temporary closure.
“The DOLE evaluated the validity of the list. Not all bioethanol plant workers availed of the said financial assistance due to ineligibility of the applicants as provided under the guidelines,” she added.
SAWP-AMIn is a social safety strategy developed by DOLE and approved by the National Tripartite Consultative Council for the bioethanol industry to respond to the economic shocks and sudden loss of income encountered by bioethanol workers due to the implementation of community quarantine measures. – NLG
