Binay wants OFW lounges at airports

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) czar Jejomar Binay proposed the establishment of OFW lounges in airports.

He said the lounges can be where departing migrant workers have their documents processed quickly.

Binay also underscored the need for a single airport authority, saying that having 15 agencies involved in airport security makes it difficult to pinpoint accountability, particularly against illegal recruitment.

“Masyadong magulo ang line ng authority sa mga airports natin. Kung maraming ‘heads’ mahirap hanapan ng accountability [We have a line of authority in airports that need to be fixed. If we have too many ‘heads,’ it would be hard to pinpoint accountability],” Binay said.

Binay met with various government agencies related to OFW concerns and proposed the establishment of a task force that would curb illegal recruitment and human trafficking. The task force will be headed by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it is identifying areas where human trafficking is most rampant as part of its continuous efforts to ensure the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers.

DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) special assistant Enrico Fos said they are looking at filing cases against human traffickers not just here in the country but also in areas where they are being trafficked to “make human trafficking expensive to the perpetrators.” –MADEL R. SABATER, Manila Bulletin