DOLE refutes claims of underreporting affected workers

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III asserted that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has been transparent and is not underreporting the number of workers affected by the community quarantine.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) estimates that between 2.5 to 4 million workers could be affected, a figure higher than DOLE's reported numbers.

Bello explained that the reported figures are based on establishment reports submitted to DOLE's field and regional offices.

He emphasized that DOLE continues to accept reports to get a clearer picture of the impact of the health emergency on workplaces.

The labor chief encouraged companies to submit the names of all their workers, regardless of employment status, to avail of the Covid Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).

Bello assured that there is no reason for the government or the DOLE to manipulate the numbers.

As of April 13, DOLE reported that 1,428,841 workers from 52,993 establishments were displaced, with over a million due to temporary closures and the rest from flexible work arrangements.

Additionally, nearly P1.1 billion in assistance has been disbursed to around 220,000 workers under CAMP.

Bello also noted that hundreds of thousands of informal sector workers are in need of financial aid.