BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Bacolod Cong. Greg Gasataya appeals to labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, asking the latter to address the issue in the implementation of COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) in the region.
Gasataya, in a letter to Bello, said his appeal is “in consideration of our constitutional duty to promote the rights and welfare of our workers”.
The solon cited DOLE’s rejection of the application for CAMP of businesses operating within the city.
Gasataya revealed that DOLE Regional Director Cyril Ticao, in his letter dated 22 April, 2020, CAMP applications will no longer be accommodated as “the allocated budget has already been exhausted.”
“These establishments were further advised to avail of the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program of the Department of Finance (DOF) but many were deemed disqualified due to amount of tax contribution,” Gasataya said.
The congressman added that certain employees opted not to avail of the Social Amelioration Program subsidy because of their employers’ pending application for CAMP and SBWS, as this is in violation of the law.
The eventual disqualification of CAMP and SBWS of their employers, however, left these employees with no income and no subsidy amid the pandemic.
“It is also noteworthy that out of the 3,716 establishments that applied for CAMP in the region, only 1,408 establishments were successfully granted due to the insufficiency of funds. The 1,408 establishments, which do not even constitute half of the total establishments that applied, were comprised of only 23,867 workers in a region with a population of 7,536,383 (2015 census),” the congressman added.
