Ilocos Norte offers temporary work to wage earners displaced by lockdown

MANILA, Philippines – The Ilocos Norte provincial government will soon offer temporary jobs to daily wage earners displaced by the Luzon-wide lockdown imposed by Malacañang to stem the coronavirus outbreak.  

The cash-for-work program will be under the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), capitol announced in a press release Saturday, March 28.  

The work will involve sanitation and clean-up of rivers and creeks, as well as canal unclogging, according to program head Estrella Sacro said. 

Workers will receive a daily salary of P255, Sacro said. (The minimum wage in Ilocos Region is between P282 and P340.)  

Meanwhile, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) has allotted P15 million for the program. It will start distributing relief packages next week to households selected by barangay officials.  

Province prepares hospitals 

Ilocos Norte is preparing 3 of its largest hospitals for when the number of people infected by the coronavirus will possibly rise.  

These are the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) in Batac City and the Governor Roque Ablan Sr Memorial Hospital (GRASMH), and the Laoag City General Hospital (LCGH).

MMMH&MC chief of hospital Dr Lourdes Otayza, in a press release Saturday, said the 3 hospitals have enough isolation rooms for now. 

The provincial government, led by Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, has been coordinating with the MMMH&MC for the procurement of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine to ensure reliable testing results for COVID-19. – Rappler.com