MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will be providing a one-time P5,000 cash aid to private sector workers, after Alert Level 3 was extended in Metro Manila and other areas until end-January.

On Tuesday, January 18, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the department has set aside P1 billion for its COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP), which would benefit 200,000 workers.

DOLE first announced the P5,000 aid earlier in January, as the capital region and other areas were placed under Alert Level 3. As of Tuesday, the department is still finalizing the order.

“We will start accepting applications anytime soon once the guidelines are published,” said Bello during a media briefing.

DOLE’s CAMP seeks to augment the salaries of private sector employees affected by pandemic curbs. In the past, employers applied on behalf of workers for the cash benefit.

The department earlier said it expects around 100,000 to 200,000 workers to be affected.

Metro Manila and other areas were placed under the stricter Alert Level 3 due to the “possibility” of local transmission of the Omicron variant in the country. Later, the alert level was extended as the Philippines logged a record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases believed to be driven by Omicron.

On Tuesday, the country recorded 28,471 new infections. – Rappler.com