Informal sector workers in the Visayas will soon benefit from the “full-cycle” assistance of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that may enable them to work in the tourism sector.
Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said they would be expanding the program, which provides skills training, equipment, clothes, as well as medical and dental service to help its beneficiaries be employed in tourism-related jobs outside of Luzon.
“The Department is set to expand the project’s implementation with the addition of more Intramuros ‘padyak drivers’ as beneficiaries and its replication in other tourism areas,” Laguesma said in a news statement issued on Thursday.
“The Tourism Secretary requested for the project to be replicated in Western and Central Visayas, which are also known tourism destinations,” he added.
Last October, the program was piloted in Intramuros, Manila, where it benefited 120 pedicab drivers, who were trained to act as tour guides in the Walled City.
The program was then implemented in Baguio City, which is also a top tourist destination, and benefited the horseback riding stable and its guides at Wright Park.
Laguesma noted that implementing the initiative is challenging for DOLE since it involves close coordination with the concerned local government units.
“We are also gearing for the implementation of this initiative across the regions,” he added.