ILOILO CITY, April 2 (PIA) - The government through its various instrumentalities is implementing programs interventions to help people affected by the home quarantine amid the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat.

Among initiatives that have already been rolled out in Western Visayas are the following:

- P5,000 one-time financial assistance of the Department of Labor and Employment for affected workers in the private sector

- Cash assistance to rice farmers under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance and Kadiwa on Wheels of the Department of Agriculture

- DBP Financing to businesses and local government units which may be affected by the quarantine imposed by the national government to stem the spread of the corona virus disease in the country. of the Development Bank of the Philippines under its Rehabilitation Support Program on Severe Events (DBP RESPONSE)

- Community support milk-based feeding project of the Philippine Carabao Center

- Social Amelioration Package of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for low-income households

DOLE-6 Regional Director Cyril Ticao said the CAMP is a safety net program that offers financial support and employment facilitation to affected workers in private establishments that have adopted flexible work arrangements (FWAs) or temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic as per Department Order No. 209, Series of 2020.

The Department of Agriculture Region VI has started distributing the cash assistance of P5, 000.00 this week. It also said in its social media account that they also have distributed free vegetable seeds to farmers "to enable food supply continuity amid the COVID-19 crisis".

The financing assistance is offered by the Development Bank of the Philippines under its Rehabilitation Support Program on Severe Events (DBP RESPONSE).

Private institutions including enterprises, corporations, cooperatives, associations, schools, hospitals and financial institutions are eligible borrowers of the program.

The initial beneficiaries of the PCC-West Visayas State University project are the frontlines serving in COVID-19 quarantine checkpoints.

DSWD is implementing the social amelioration assistance package in coordination with the LGUs who are tasked to endorse the list of target beneficiaries the agency's field offices.

Other government agencies and institutions have come up with their own assistance packages.

Local government units as well have rolled out their respective assistance initiatives while waiting for support from the national government alongside efforts to protect their constituents and prevent the spread of the corona virus disease. (JBG/JSC/PIA6)