More than 400,000 displaced tourism workers nationwide are set to receive cash aid, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Saturday, May 1.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said 465,530 tourism workers would receive cash assistance under the DOT-Department of Labor and Employment Cash Assistance Program of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, totaling P2,327,650,000.
“We hope that this financial assistance will provide some relief to our most affected stakeholders and tourism workers during these difficult times,” Romulo-Puyat said.
There will be 39,429 beneficiaries from the National Capital Region; 26,908 from Cordillera Administrative Region; 45,709 from Region 1; 17,293 from Region 2; 55,974 from Region 3; 61,392 from Region 4A; 56,955 from Region 4B; 11,468 from Region 5; 45,429 from Region 6; 31,712 from Region 7; 13,327 from Region 8; 6,609 from Region 9; 13,939 from Region 10; 26,095 from Region 11; 5,661 from Region 12, and 7,630 from Region 13.
Some areas of the country are still under modified enhanced community quarantine, until May 14, which limits establishments such as restaurants to 10-percent capacity, while the rest of the country is under modified general community quarantine.
The Philippines saw a decline in tourism and trade as early as February 2020 due to the Taal Volcano eruption in January 2020, an International Labor Organization report said.
The report said the Philippine tourism industry was among the sectors that took a hard hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As of April 28, cash assistance amounting to P1,628,390,000.00 for 325,678 beneficiaries have been released to payment centers. Charlene Grace Lao