DSWD extends aid to Boracay migrant workers

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas operation center started to release a one-time  assistance to migrant workers in distress due to  Boracay shutdown.

PHOTO AKLAN FORUM JOURNAL

Informal workers such as public transport drivers, massage therapists, souvenir and handicrafts vendors and tour guides must submit worker’s identification card and birth, baptismal or marriage certificates.

Formal workers or those employed in hotels and establishments are also required to submit a certificate of displacement due to Boracay closure and company identification cards.

DSWD Region 6 operations center head Joey Urquiola said the registered labor force of Boracay is listed at 18,000 and the informal workers at 2,000.

“Hindi kasama sa transportation assistance ang mga managers ng hotels. Ang mga rank-and file or minimum wage earners ang qualified sa DSWD assistance,” he said.

As of April 24, the DSWD operation center along Boracay Tropics Resort in Station 2 Main Road released cash assistance since Monday to some 300 affected migrant workers who have decided to leave the island.

DSWD teams also directly assisted the employees in hotels and establishments in the island for profiling and validation.

“Kailangan mag-present sila ng dokumento para maka-avail sa immediate response ng DSWD sa ganitong sitwasyon. Ang ibang workers nakukuha ng assistance tulad ng  promo tickets sa airlines at pamasahe sa barko. Libo na rin ang na-profiled natin sa isla umpisa Abril 23,” Urquiola said.

DSWD is releasing up to P5,000 for migrant workers which will be taken from the initial Assistance for Affected Individuals and Families in Crisis Situation Fund amounting to P1-million.

The agency also provides emotional support intervention and counseling services to families or persons in crisis or unexpected situations due to natural calamities or human-induced emergencies. 

First published by independent online blog Aklan Forum Journal. The unrestricted use in print, radio, publication and distribution of articles are allowed provided the original author and Aklan Forum Journal are credited.