New agency to serve OFWs exclusively proposed
PANGASINAN’S present and prospective overseas workers can look forward to seamless services for their benefit once the call for the establishment of a department that will cater exclusively to the needs of overseas workers.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano recently filed Senate Bill No. 1435 calling for the establishment of the Department of Foreign Employment (DOFE), a one-stop umbrella agency that will provide full protection to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families.
The senator’s initiative came in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to OFWs in Saudi Arabia that a department for OFWs is now in the works, but jurisdiction on its creation lies with Congress.
The proposed agency will serve as a channel to address all issues and grievances of our “modern-day heroes,” including the promotion of their full and just employment and the mitigation of social costs back home.
Cayetano pointed out that “Despite the existence of agencies to protect them, OFWs and their families continue to face numerous problems and challenges such as illegal recruitment; employer abuse; inadequate benefits; inefficient and ineffective delivery of services; and the lack of representation in the agencies that are supposed to protect and promote their rights.”
“There is, indeed, a pressing need to prioritize the creation of an agency that would manage, harmonize, and strengthen existing policies and programs to address the needs of foreign Filipino employment,” he further stressed.
The proposed department, which will be headed by a person with a rank of Cabinet Secretary, shall be the primary policy, programming, coordinating, and administrative entity of the executive branch, providing assistance to OFWs in the field of overseas labor and employment.
The measure also proposes to create a P1-billion OFW Distress and Assistance Fund to provide financial support for OFWs in distress – including repatriation and provisions for life-saving funds in times of great emergency – a well as training and livelihood loans for returning OFWs.
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