On March 16 this year, the entire Luzon was put on a month-long enhanced community quarantine as a preventive measure for the further spread of the COVID-19. All private establishments were forced to suspend operations, with exception to businesses rendering basic and essential services.
Many workers have then suffered a temporary loss or reduced source of income during the lockdown.
To lighten this heavy implication, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued Department Order No. 209, Series of 2020 (DO 209-20) on March 17, providing guidelines on the implementation of COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).
CAMP is a safety net program that provides financial assistance to affected workers in businesses that have adopted flexible working arrangements (FWAs) or have temporarily closed. It covers workers affected from January 2020 until the lockdown is lifted on April 14, unless it gets extended.
Note that prior to this, DOLE has advised companies to utilize employees’ paid leave credits for those who are unable to work from home during the quarantine. Thus, CAMP shall only be used to partially make up for the unpaid days not covered by the employees’ leave credits. Only employees subject to no-work-no-pay are eligible beneficiaries.
How Can Employers Apply For CAMP
Employers under affected private establishments may apply for CAMP on behalf of their employees.
This covers a ONE-TIME Php 5,000.00 financial assistance to your employees, regardless of their employment status.
You are required to submit the following to DOLE:
- An Establishment Report explaining how your company implemented FWAs or how it temporarily ceased operations due to COVID-19 government regulations
- Company Payroll for the month before the FWA implementation or temporary cessation of operations/closure
These documents must be emailed to the appropriate DOLE Regional Office specified in DOLE’s labor advisory. For more information about the forms you should accomplish and the complete directory, please visit/refer to this link.
DOLE’s Labor officials will evaluate your application, and you shall receive a Notice of Approval or a Notice of Denial within three (3) days.
Your application may be denied due to the ineligibility of applicant, misrepresentation of facts in the application, and/or submission of falsified or tampered documents.
Once your application has been approved, the appropriate DOLE Regional office will disburse the cash assistance directly to your employees’ payroll account via bank transfer within two (2) weeks upon receiving the Notice of Approval. A Notice of Completion will then be issued to your employees via email.
The CAMP took effect last Saturday, March 21 2020.
References:
- Department of Labor and Employment (2020, March 17. Guidelines on the Adjustment Measures Program for Affected Workers Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019. Retrieved from https://www.dole.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/a.department-order-no.-209.pdf
- Department of Labor and Employment (2020, March 19). Labor Advisory No. 12 Series of 2020. Retrieved from https://www.dole.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/labor-advisory-no.-12-1.pdf
- Rey, A. (2020, March 17). DOLE: P5,000 cash aid for Luzon workers affectd by lockdown. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/254889-affected-luzon-workers-to-receive-aid-from-government
- Sino Cruz, I. R. (2020, March 19). DOLE to provide financial aid to COVID-19 affected workers. Retrieved from https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/295384/dole-to-provide-financial-aid-to-covid-19-affected-workers
- ABS-CBN News (2020, March 18). DOLE to provide P5,000 to displaced workers during Luzon lockdown. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/03/18/20/dole-p5000-for-workers-no-salary-luzon-lockdown
