The Department of Labor and Employment has authorized the release of additional Social Amelioration Program or SAP funds for the sugar industry workers' maternity and death benefit claims.

The DOLE administrative order, signed by Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma on 4 October, gives authority to the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns to process the release of additional reserve funds of P6.8 million for the maternity benefit program and P11.76 million for the death benefit program for sugar workers.

According to DOLE, the additional reserve funds will be allocated to DOLE Regional Offices 2, 3, 4A, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 including the provincial offices in Iloilo and Negros Occidental.

The said directive aims to guarantee the availability of reserve funds for the implementation of the benefits in response to the DOLE Department Order No. 236 issued in 2022, which increased the maternity benefit for sugar workers from P5,000 to P8,000 and the death benefit from P10,000 to P14,000.

About P400,000 additional reserve funds corresponding to 50 maternity benefit claims will be each released to the DOLE regional offices in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Davao, and SOCCSKSARGEN, and the DOLE Provincial Office in Iloilo while P640,000 for another 80 maternity benefit claims will be released to DOLE Cagayan Valley; P2.24 million for 280 maternity benefit claims in Negros Occidental; and P720,000 for 90 maternity benefit claims in Northern Mindanao.

The DOLE regional/provincial offices in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol, Iloilo, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and SOCCSKSARGEN were each given the authority to release P700,000 corresponding to 50 death benefit claims.

Meanwhile, about P1.26 million in reserve funds corresponding to 90 death benefit claims will be released to Calabarzon while P4.2 million will be released to Negros Occidental to fund 300 death benefits.

The Administrative Order allots additional funds to DOLE Regional Office 2 and Negros Occidental Provincial Office for 50 claims per program component to sugarcane-based bioethanol workers under the Social Amelioration and Welfare Program for workers in the Biofuel Industry.

DOLE said that through the funding of a lien or levy imposed on the gross production of sugar, the SAP aims to augment the income of sugar workers and finance programs for their livelihood and well-being.

The agency added that 20 percent of the collected lien is allocated for the SAP's socio-economic project component, with the remaining three percent going toward administrative and operating costs. The funds are distributed as follows: maternity benefit fund (3%), death benefit fund (5%), and socio-economic fund (9%).

Republic Act No. 6982, or An Act Strengthening the Social Amelioration Program in the Sugar Industry, directs the DOLE Secretary, in consultation with the Sugar Tripartite Council, to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of the law, including the efficient collection, monitoring, and equitable distribution of the lien and such benefits as provided for by the law.