House bill seeks P1B special assistance fund for OFWs Hoping to extend assistance to both documented and undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in distress, a lawmaker on Wednesday filed a bill that would allot P1 billion in special funds to the country’s “new heroes.” “More and more OFWs are in distress. The latest spate of civil unrest in the Middle East countries is a good example of how urgent the need to have standby funds intended solely for the varying needs of OFWs, especially returnees and repatriated ones,” said Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar. In his proposed House Bill 2820, Villar said 30 percent of the total fund shall be allotted to support a livelihood training or retraining program for returning OFWs. The program will focus on imparting new skills to OFWs who have opted to remain in the country following their stints abroad. Meanwhile, the remainder of the fund shall be utilized for other pressing purposes such as repatriation, medical expenses, hospitalization and purchase of medicine through vouchers, migration fees for overstaying Filipinos, legal assistance including litigation expenses, legal fees, payment of translation fees, attendance in court hearings, as well as the payment of blood money when necessary. Part of the fund will also be earmarked for the basic necessities of OFWs who might be detained, Villar said. Villar noted in particular the importance of setting aside a substantial amount for OFWs who are caught in distress, whether due to their host country’s political situation or due to maltreatment of their employers. “Our OFWs encounter various problems, from maltreatment and employment-related issues to situation beyond their control such as wars, natural calamities and other emergencies or disasters. We have to be ready to help them out at all times,” he said. Last year, based on the 2013 figures of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), 2,283 overseas OFWs and their children were repatriated from strife-torn Syria, Egypt and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To date, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that a total of 4,567 Filipinos have been repatriated from Syria, which is in the midst of a bloody civil war. “We need to have a really good reintegration program for OFW returnees, through skills-up training, so ease them back as productive members of our society,” Villar said of the returning Filipinos. —
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 05:31:19 +0000
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