The Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has revealed that it has already given out cash assistance to 85,849 OFWs as part of the DOLE-Abot Kamay Ang Pagtulong (DOLE-AKAP) program as part of the government’s assistance for Filipinos who had been affected by the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
This represents more than half of DOLE’s target to provide financial aid for 150,000 OFWs from over 40 Philippine Overseas Labor Offices together with offices of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) around the world with a total budget of Php 1.5 billion.
However, reports from the Philippine News Agency also state that DOLE and POLO-OWWA offices have cumulatively received a total of 336,809 requests for aid.
By the numbers
Of the approved requests, 54,602 were processed on-site or in various POLOs and 31,247 were evaluated by OWWA.
The number of approved assistance, from both land and sea-based workers, represents more than 50 percent of the target beneficiaries of 150,000 OFWs, DOLE said, according to the Philippine News Agency.
DOLE has so far disbursed Php482.9 million to 47,239 qualified OFWs.
The pay-outs by POLOs to 26,500 OFWs stood at P275.6 million pesos and represents 40 percent of the allocated budget.
For repatriated workers or balik-manggagawa, OWWA has approved 31,247 beneficiaries and released to 20,739 OFWs the amount of P207,300,000 which is around 41 percent of the budget allocated for repatriates or balik-manggagawa.
