ZAMBOANGA CITY, 15th November 2021 – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through its field office in Isabela City de Basilan in collaboration with the Office of the City Mayor, Public Employment Service Office (PESO), City Health Office (CHO) and City Information Office (CIO) distributed the eight (8) bicycles and cycling kits to selected informal sector beneficiaries of the BikeCINATION Project on November 09, 2021 at Multi-purpose Hall, Isabela City Elementary Pilot School, Doña Ramona Barangay, Isabela City.

The said event was facilitated in time for the actual vaccination activity of the CHO on the same day.

The BikeCINATION project is under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program which aims to provide an alternative source of income for informal sector workers or their next of kin under the A3 and A4 category who have received their COVID-19 vaccine. The project aims to incentivize and encourage the informal sector to get vaccinated to help in the country’s fight against this pandemic.

The package of assistance includes a bicycle unit, insulator bag, cellphone with 1000php load, long sleeve shirt, helmet, reflectorized vest, cellphone holder, bike gloves, group accident insurance coverage for one (1) year and orientation on Occupational Safety and Health for Informal Sector.

DOLE 9 Assistant Regional Director Imelda F. Gatinao, Chief Labor and Employment Officer and head of Technical Support and Services Division Engr. Wesley D. Tan, Isabela City Field Office Head Maria Elena T. Alabata together with the representative of Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman in the person of City Information Officer Mendry Ann Lim, Dr. Rehab Hayre from the City Health Office and Councilor Karel Sakkalahul led the turn-over of the project to the beneficiaries.

After the profiling of the would-be beneficiaries of the BikeCINATION project at ATS-PTS Cargo Handling Services, six (6) out of the eight (8) beneficiaries who are fully vaccinated availed of the program. These vaccinated beneficiaries are only 22% of the twenty-seven (27) total number of port workers of the company who are unvaccinated.

According to the ATS-PTS Operations Manager Joser G. Tan Sanchez, the project had not only provided the port workers an alternative source of income but helped the company encouraged the workers to be fully vaccinated because the remaining twenty-one (21) workers had already got their first dose of the vaccine after they were oriented on the program.

This incentivizing strategy of DOLE is one with the government’s war against COVID-19 as this would encourage more unvaccinated persons to voluntarily be vaccinated.

Photos from Isabela de Basilan City Information Office