DOT begins distribution of P156.4M cash aid for displaced workers in CAR
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat marked the first day of her three-day trip to CAR by leading the distribution of cash assistance to the heads of the 6,131 displaced tourist workers at the Baguio Country Club in Baguio City on Sunday afternoon. Image from John Eric Mendoza
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Department of Tourism on Sunday began its distribution of P156.4 million worth of cash assistance to more than 31,000 displaced tourism workers and other affiliated sectors here in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat led the distribution of cash aid to an initial 6,131 displaced tourism workers in Baguio City, who will each get P5,000 each, for a total of P30.6 million.
“Rest assured that the DOT is doing all that it can to bring back jobs and employment to Filipino tourism workers,” Puyat said in a press conference with Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, also the country’s contact tracing czar, at the Baguio Country Club.
DOT said the allocation is part of the P3.1 billion under the Bayanihan 2 Act, the national government’s economic recovery program.
There are a total of 31,273 displaced tourism workers in the city, according to Puyat.
Article continues after this advertisement“Baguio is reliant on tourism, that’s why Bayanihan 2 is important for them,” she added.
Article continues after this advertisementRepresenting their respective sectors are the heads of Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club, Inc.; KBP Baguio-Benguet Chapter; Baguio Wedding and Event Suppliers Organization, Inc.; Baguio Event Workers Association; Persons With Disability Masseurs, Masseuse and Tour Guide Association; Pasakalye Group of Artists Inc.; Victor Oyteza Community Arts and Space Foundation Inc.; Highlander Night Market Association; Baguio Market Vendors Multi-purpose Cooperative; and Bag-iw Night Market Vendors Association Incorporated.
Romulo-Puyat is in the region for a three-day technical inspection of tourism sites in Benguet province in anticipation of the resumption of local tourism activities to jumpstart the domestic economy severely hit by the new coronavirus.
Puyat revealed that Baguio City only had 268,912 tourists last year, which is 82 percent less than 2019.
