A total of 2, 600 Taganito Mining workers in Claver, Surigao del Norte, are set to benefit from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (Philhealth) YAKAP Program,launched in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment in the Caraga Region (DOLE-13), the Philippine News Agency reports.
DOLE-13 provincial office and Philhealth formally launched the program in Claver on Tuesday, led by Regional Director Jason Balais, PhilHealth Caraga Field Operations Chief Joselyn Canete, and Claver Mayor Georgia Gokiangkee.
“The launching formalized the DOLE-13’s ongoing implementation of YAKAP, a program designed to expand access to primary healthcare and strengthen workplace services for Filipino workers, particularly in high-risk industries such as mining, construction, and manufacturing,” the DOLE-13 said in a statement.
The program will cover 600 regular and 2,000 contractual employees of TMC.
One of the beneficiaries, a regular employee identified as Ryan, said the program ensures that workers’ health and safety are prioritized.
“As the DOLE told us, mining is among the high-risk workplaces, as such, our safety must be given high priority by the company and the government through programs such as YAKAP,” he said.
The launch also included the release of PHP 1.8 million in livelihood assistance from DOLE to the TMC-MG Regular Seasonal Livelihood Association for the expansion of its rice trading project.
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