The proposed P30,000 cash assistance to employees who contracted COVID-19 is now pending before the office of President Rodrigo Duterte, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
Bello said they recently passed a board resolution with the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) to increase the benefits provided cash aid for COVID-hit workers from P10,000 to P30,000.
"It is now pending before the office of the president or the approval of the president," the secretary told DZHR in an interview.
"And we are very confident that the president will approve this increase," he added.
According to Bello, the assistance will only cover private-sector employees, and it will be for all COVID-hit workers regardless of their employment status.
He also assured employers that it will be the ECC that will compensate the COVID-hit workers and not their companies.
"Hindi relevant 'yun [employment status]. Basta ikaw ay empleyado, tinamaan ka ng COVID, you are entitled to the benefit of P10,000 and it will become P30,000 as soon as it is approved by the president," said the secretary.
([Employment status] is not relevant. As long as you are an employee, you were hit with COVID, you are entitled to the benefit of P10,000 and it will become P30,000 as soon as it is approved by the president.)
A separate P5,000 is also awaiting employees who were displaced by their companies after the government placed several areas under Alert Level 3.
