OFWsreceivefinancialaid fromthePHgovernment

Bernadette S Cadunggan

Due to the lack of wages given to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), a memorandum was signed to deal with financial aid by the Philippine government,March12

Approximately 100,000 unpaid OFWs are still waiting for their back wages from construction firms in Saudi Arabia that declared bankruptcy from 2015 to 2019 It was an agreement between the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that they would receive financial aid

Each worker will receive PhP 10,000 from the department while a P100 million fund has been issued The respective departments have reserved PhP 50 million each for financial aid

"We will release the humanitarian assistance within the next two weeks with DMW-OWWA leading the distribution efforts," said DMW Secretary Susan Ople during the MOA signing with DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian

Ople also stated that the DMW and DSWD are collaborating to support the children of OFWs who have been placed in the care of next of kin or household members

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an attached DMW agency, will create an electronic or digital portal for OFW beneficiaries to register and apply for assistance A designated focal person from OWWA and DSWD will oversee the process and monitor compliance in the disbursement of public funds

The DSWD will cover implementing its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Program in partnership with the OWWA It will also provide technical assistance to the OWWA to ensure the smooth implementation of the financial aid program