Stop modus operandi to avail Boracay workers assistance

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) warned unscrupulous individuals and employers to stop their new modus operandi to avail the government’s program for Boracay displaced workers.

PHOTO DOLE REGION VI

On September 21, DoLE regional director Cyril Ticao issued the warning after some employers were fraudulently issuing certificate of employments to non-employees ineligible for the government’s Boracay Employment Program (BEEP)-Adjustment Measures Program (AMP).

Under this program, displaced regular employees in Boracay will receive their cash cards with P4,205.50 deposited monthly, or 50 percent of the monthly minimum wage for Western  Visayas for a maximum period of six months. 

Retained workers who do not receive regular wage also receive P2,102.75 lump sum aid, or 25 percent of the minimum wage for three months.

Ticao stressed “there were reports that individuals were posing as employers or issuing documents such as certificate of employments, IDs and other related documents in exchange for a commission. “

“We will not hesitate to file legal actions to apprehend the perpetrators. We are only ensuring government funds allotted for BEEP-AMP are given to legitimate beneficiaries (in Boracay),” he added.

Ticao said the agency will strictly evaluate newly received applications not included in the profiled formal sector database.

“These applications will be processed for payroll unless eligibility has been fully established and determined.”

The Boracay assistance to around 20,000 formal sector workers in three barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag and Yapak is a comprehensive package to enhance their employability and competitiveness and to mitigate the impact of six-month temporary closure of Boracay.

Affected workers are encouraged to submit to BEEP Operations Center – DoLE Satellite Desk, DoLE Regional Office VI a photocopy of certificate of employment and any government-issued ID to avail the program.