Baguio Tourism-based Orgs Get Aid From DOT, DOLE

May 31, 2021 JUST IN

BAGUIO CITY (May 31, 2021)— Close to 1,500 workers from ten tourism business establishments, tourism support service and community-based tourism organizations affected by the COVID19 here were awarded with cash assistance from the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong with DOT-Cordillera OIC Jovita Ganongan and DOLE-Cordillera Technical Support and Services Division Chief George Lubin Jr. led the awarding of certificates of eligibility to ten beneficiary organizations Sunday in a ceremony at the Baguio Country Club.
The financial assistance is a national government program, through a joint memorandum circular between DOT and DOLE.
In February this year, the DOT-DOLE Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2021-001 (Amended Implementing Guidelines on Providing Financial Assistance and Cash-For-Work Program for Displaced Workers in the Tourism Sector) was issued which expanded its coverage of beneficiaries including Local Government-Licensed Tourism Support Service enterprises, providers and associations of providers.
Sec. Puyat explained that the financial assistance is not only given to the workers in hotels and restaurants but also to those indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by relying on other tourism activities being the “Summer Capital of the Philippines.”
A total of 1,466 individuals from the identified tourism business establishments, tourism support service and community-based tourism organizations will receive a one-time P5,000 financial assistance during the ceremony.
Among the tourism organization beneficiaries include the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcaster Club (BCBC) Inc., the Kapisanan ang Brodkasters ng Pilipinas (KBP) Baguio-Benguet Chapter, Baguio Wedding and Event Suppliers Organizations Inc., Baguio Event Workers Association, Persons with Disability, Masseuse and Tour Guide Association, Pasakalye Group of Artists Inc., Victor Oyteza Community Arts and Space (VOCAS) Foundation, Highlander Night Market Association, Baguio Market Vendors Multi-purpose Cooperative, and the Bag-iw Market Vendors Association Inc.
Mayor Magalong said he believed that the tourism sector in the city of Baguio has been the most severely affected industry in this pandemic. He noted the closing down of business, laying-off of people and the major losses in revenue in the city’s tourism sector . He added that although it was a difficult decision, it was necessary to close down the city at the onset of the pandemic to manage the spread of the virus for the safety of the people.
Magalong thanked Sec. Puyat for making sure that each of the beneficiaries will be given the necessary help that they all deserve. He added that aside from Baguio City, other provinces in the Cordillera region also benefit from the financial assistance of the DOT and DOLE.
As of May 26, 2021, more than 30,000 displaced workers from almost 800 establishments have received financial assistance amounting to more than 156 million pesos in the Cordillera region.
Artemio A. Dumlao