The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) announces a post-COVID-19 recovery program that aims to generate 1-million jobs all over the country for workers displaced by the pandemic.

During the online briefing on Thursday, a couple of hour before the Labor Day celebration, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III confirmed this report saying…

“…We are deep into the details of a recovery plan post-Covid for the generation of a fresh 1 million jobs in the provinces for our workers in the coming months. This is part of a package that also includes a three-month wage subsidy to workers in micro- and small-scale enterprises, including those in the ‘gig’ economy and members of the mass media,”

“Since the recovery plan is anchored on the concept of balik-probinsya, we will continue and enhance the implementation of the labor department’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers program for the next three months to employ “returnees” and those in the barangays,” Bello said.

 Bello also noted that in order to prepare the laborers for the “new normal” DOLE is preparing a set of guidelines and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will soon to released.

According to the proposal stated in the recovery program, the contractors of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is required of additional workers from the community where the project is to be implemented of at least 10 percent of manpower source.

Marianito Roque, Bello’s consultant, reiterated saying, “the focused of the program is to restore the lost jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown. He also said that the next phase of the program will create another employment opportunity for people formerly working for business but closed down during the COVID-19 crisis.

Roque also noted that the implementation of the program required budget of not less than P25-billion.

Labor Under Secretary Renato Ebarle noted that the process of applications could be done through their local government units in the since that mass gathering like job fairs is banned due to the extension of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).