Iloilo: Beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment emergency employment program (DEEP) here were tapped for the cleanup drive against dengue. "We deployed our emergency employment in barangays to ensure that we have no stagnant water. It's almost proven that every time we roll out our DEEP program, we have lower cases of dengue," Iloilo City Public Employment Service Office (PESO) manager Gabriel Felix Umadhay said on Friday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Umadhay stated that 843 workers are concentrating their efforts on areas that the General Services Office could not reach, such as community canals and stockpiled garbage. With the program, the cleanup drive is accelerated, and indigents are given the opportunity for economic activity.

The PHP5 million fund for the salary of DEEP beneficiaries was provided by the Department of Labor and Employment, a commitment made by Western Visayas Regional Director Lawyer Sixto Rodriguez Jr., when the city government opened its second PESO recruitment center last month. The beneficiaries signed their contracts on Monday and began work on Thursday, committing to a 10-day work schedule during weekdays. They will receive an honorarium of PHP513 per day.