PCOO PR
Appeals are being made for non-regular employees in the media industry who are still waiting for further assistance from the government, especially those who were not able to avail of the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
In his weekday Network Briefing News program, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said that some media workers are currently facing difficulty in sustaining their income as some media companies have ceased operations.
He also referred the same appeal from the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc (PAPI) to DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
“Alam niyo naman na talagang lumala ang sitwasyon sa ating media industry also. Hindi lang yung ibang industry pati yung media industry ay talagang nabawasan ng revenues, walang pampasweldo sa kanilang mga tao na no work, no pay din [The situation in the media industry has worsened. It is not just other industries but it includes the media industry, who lost revenues and are having difficulty in providing pay for its employees who are under a “no work, no pay” policy],” he said.
The PCOO chief also mentioned that the imposed community quarantine has had an adverse effect on the employment of some members of the media, noting that there are already tabloid companies shutting down.
Secretary Andanar continues to assure the industry that government support will be available to them.
During the same program, Secretary Bello bared that the agency has already requested from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) further budget allocation for the program, to cater to those who were not included in the first wave of assistance that was given.
“Mag-online [application] nalang sila. Ipa-priority natin sila the moment na marelease na ng DBM yung ating requested budgetary allocation [They may apply online and we will prioritize them once the DBM releases the budgetary allocation we have requested],” he said.
