PHP 4.8 million aid released to Kanlaon-hit sugar workers

BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through its Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) and the Negros Occidental Field Office, has released PHP 4.8 million in financial assistance to 4,800 sugarcane workers affected by the recent eruption of Mount Kanlaon.

The aid, under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) for Workers in the Sugar Industry, was distributed to mill and field workers in the hardest-hit sugar milling districts of La Carlota City and the towns of Binalbagan and Isabela.

Each beneficiary received PHP 1,000 to help offset income losses brought on by the disaster.

The funding was sourced from the SAP–Socioeconomic Projects Fund and forfeited, unclaimed, and undistributed cash bonus bonds from Region VI.

Based on data from the District Tripartite Councils’ (DTC) field worker representative, the eruption disrupted the livelihoods of an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 sugar workers.

Records from the 2019–2020 crop year Cash Bonus Program indicated that the affected workforce included 329 mill workers and 27,970 field workers.

The DOLE Negros Occidental Field Office handled the distribution in close coordination with the DTCs and workers’ associations.

Beneficiaries were validated against officially endorsed lists to ensure proper targeting and prevent duplication.

The assistance underscores DOLE’s continued commitment to protecting workers’ welfare, especially in the sugar industry, which faces both labor challenges and the effects of natural disasters.

DOLE urged beneficiaries to remain engaged with their respective workers’ organizations and local councils for updates on future socio-economic programs.