Displaced Filipino workers to receive assistance from Manila

A total of 795 Filipino workers in Macau working in manufacturing, hotel, restaurant and tourism-related sectors have been displaced as a result of the travel restrictions implemented to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
According to the Philippine’s Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the number of overseas Filipino workers that are or were displaced in Macau was the largest figure among the listed regions.
Based on DOLE’s Job Displacement Monitoring Report, released Monday, Qatar came next with 208 displaced Filipino workers, followed by Japan which recorded 135 displaced workers. In Hong Kong, there are 53 displaced Filipino workers.
To assist these workers still stranded overseas, DOLE assured that workers who have been affected by the Covid-19 global pandemic will receive government financial assistance through the bureau.
According to a statement issued by the bureau, its migrant workers will receive a one-time grant of PHP10,000 (around 1,600 patacas).
“To avail [themselves] of the program, overseas Filipino workers must submit their certificate of employment issued by their agencies. Their application will be evaluated and processed by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) or Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA),” the bureau stated.
These workers are advised to get in touch with POLO in their host country if they are based abroad.
The Times contacted the Philippine Consulate General to Macau to enquire whether the office had received any requested assistance from non-resident Filipino workers who were fired from their workplaces. However, no reply was given by press time.
The number of local workers and overseas Filipino workers who were displaced reached a total of 111,780, many of them from nine regions in the Philippines that have imposed community quarantine.
The country’s Luzon area is currently in an “enhanced community quarantine” to contain the spread of Covid-19 as the number of cases continues to rise daily.
As of yesterday, the country has recorded a total of 636 Covid-19 cases.