CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — A group of fishermen here affected by the oil spill last year walked out of a dialogue with the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and instead gathered outside the DoLE office on Wednesday to ask whatever happened to the cash assistance promised them by House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Some 400 members of the Hanay ng Yumayabong at Umuunlad na Mangingisda (Hayuma) trooped to the DoLE office in Barangay Lumangbayan for a dialogue with the regional director to ask about the promised P200 million from the office of the speaker. The assistance was supposed to be channeled through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantage Workers (Tupad) of DoLE. "Tinanong po natin sila kung nasaan na ang natitirang P124 million na pondo mula sa commitment ni Speaker Romualdez na P200 million (We asked them where is [the] remaining P124 million from the P200 million funds committed by Speaker Romualdez)," said Benedict Sibayan, president of Hayuma, after the walkout. "Sa amin pong pagkukwenta, umaabot lamang sa P76 million ang naipamahagi sa mga mangingisda at sila rin ay humingi pa sa atin ng master list ng mga pangalan ng mga hindi pa nabibigyan ng ayuda na atin naming kaagad na ibinigay sa kanila (Based on our calculation, only P76 million was initially distributed, and they even asked for the master list of names of those who have received assistance, and we readily complied)," added the group's president. Sibayan said that they would again seek an audience with Romualdez on the matter as he recalled that on September 20 last year, the speaker promised to coordinate with the DoLE to secure funds amounting to P200 million, to be distributed to 8,000 fishermen. The money would come from the Tupad program, Sibayan added. Estelito Regala, president of the Ibaba East chapter of the organization, said that the remaining amount should be distributed to the beneficiaries before the filing of the certificate of candidacies for the midterm elections. Any assistance from government programs is prohibited during the election period. "Sinabi sa amin ni governor na ang pamamahagi ng ayuda ay kailangang matapos bago mag-Oktubre dahil simula na ito ng election period kung saan bawal na ang anumang mga ayuda na manggagaling sa pamahalaan (We were told by our governor that the distribution of the assistance should be completed before October as this would be the start of the election period and no assistance or aid from the government would be allowed)," said Regala. Media covering the rally were not allowed in the dialogue at the office of DoLE-Mimaropa Region but a staff of the office sent a text message to The Manila Times that they will issue a statement on the matter later in the afternoon.