Solons: POEA, OWWA not doing their job

Two legislators yesterday blasted both the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) for their utter failure to address the sorry plight of many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“POEA and OWWA have been very negligent in the performance of their duties to protect our workers and promote sound and responsible practices in the overseas employment industry,” said Abakada — Guro party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz, who once served in the 1970’s as executive director of the Institute of Labor and Manpower Studies. De la Cruz is also the Daily Tribune’s columnist.

Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla shared de la Cruz’s views, saying “the POEA and OWWA have not even bothered to assist the workers in their immediate needs including the cost of their repatriation.” He also cited an increase in the number of OFWs languishing in jails abroad, the slow resolution of complaints against illegal recruiters and the utter lack of basic services to the Filipinos abroad.

Both De la Cruz and Remulla, at the same time, urged the House Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs to conduct an investigation into the case of 137 bus drivers who were promised non-existent jobs in Dubai by CYM International Services. They noted that the illegal recruitment cases the victims and their families filed with the POEA had not progressed a bit.

“It is apparent that there is collusion between unscrupulous officials of these two agencies and recruitment firms including registered ones like CYM International Services in the perpetuation of such dastardly act,” Remulla added.

“What makes matters worse is that CYM International Services induced these workers to secure loans from a lending company, RR Lacaba Lending, at usurious rates, to pay their placement fees which turned out to be more than what the law allows,” Remulla said.

Remulla noted that Congress had been very supportive of both POEA and OWWA by allocating substantial budgets to ensure the protection and welfare of OFWs, but he expressed dismay at their poor performance. “These reported cases are graphic examples of their very poor performance. It is better to allocate funds for more productive endeavors rather than waste these with such inutile agencies,” he added. –Charlie V. Manalo, Daily Tribune