The Quezon City government has praised the untiring effort of workers under its Emergency Employment Program (EEP), saying they are instrumental in the successful delivery of goods and services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Tuloy-tuloy ang ating programa dahil sa kanila. They served as our support team when we needed more hands on deck, such as when we had thousands of names and data to encode for our Kalingang QC,” said Mayor Joy Belmonte.

Some 342 workers displaced from their previous jobs due to the pandemic were hired under the first batch of the program.

According to Rogelio Reyes, head of the city’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO), the workers were hired as administrative staff and encoders for the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) and Kalingang QC program, and as bus drivers for the Libreng Sakay program.

“These workers were remunerated with P16,000 a month, in accordance with the labor department’s minimum livable wage. We’ve allocated a total of around P5 million for the emergency employment program,” he said.

Reyes said the workers are residents of nearby barangays, making it easier for them to be shuttled to Quezon City Hall.

“Tapping these displaced workers has allowed us to add reinforcement despite our skeletal workforce, the community quarantine guidelines and travel restrictions,” Reyes said.