Approximately 2,600 employees of a mining firm in Claver, Surigao del Norte, will directly benefit from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP), the Department of Labor and Employment in the Caraga Region (DOLE-13) said Wednesday.

The DOLE-13, through its provincial office, and PhilHealth formally launched the program in Claver on Tuesday. The event was led by DOLE-13 Regional Director Jason Balais, PhilHealth Caraga Field Operations Chief Joselyn Canete, and Claver Mayor Georgia Gokiangkee.

Of the total number of beneficiaries, 600 are regular and 2,000 are contractual employees of Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC).

“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 TMC was identified as a strong partner for piloting the YAKAP in the province due to its existing in-house clinic and strong commitment to employee welfare.

One of the beneficiaries, a regular TMC employee who was only identified as ‘Ryan’, said the program is a significant step toward ensuring their health benefits and safety.

“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.

He added that the collaboration between the company and government agencies is important for implementing health and safety programs.

The YAKAP launch also highlighted the release of over PHP1.8 million in livelihood assistance from DOLE to the TMC-MG Regular Seasonal Livelihood Association to expand the group’s rice trading project. (PNA)