Villar wants protection for undocumented OFWs MANILA -- Senator Cynthia Villar is pushing for a bill that will provide assistance for distressed overseas Filipino workers, whether documented or not. She said a special fund of P1 billion will be used for the repatriation, medical expenses, hospitalization and purchase of medicine of returning sick overseas workers; migration fees for overstaying Filipinos; legal assistance including litigation expenses, legal fees, payment of translation fees, attendance in court hearings; payment of blood money; and basic necessities of OFWs caught in emergencies. The funds will be sourced from the earnings of the Bureau of Immigration, Duty-Free Philippines, passport processing fees of the DFA, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and other relevant offices or agencies. "The practice now is the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration automatically provides funds for repatriation of distressed documented workers. If you are undocumented and you have problems abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs, depending on availability of funds, will be the one to assist you," she said. "That should not be the case. They are all Filipinos who left the country because of lack of opportunities here. If they have problems abroad and they want to go home, the government should be prepared to assist them; manpower should be ready and funds should be available," she said. SOURCE: abs-cbnnews/global-filipino/07/14/13/villar-wants-protection-undocumented-ofws -junx
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 08:53:02 +0000
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