DOLE offers P10,000 aid to OFWs

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday said that it is granting P10,000 financial assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning from war-torn areas in the Middle East and Libya.

The Bureau of Immigration, meanwhile, has alerted its personnel assigned to international airports to strictly enforce the ban on the deployment of Filipinos to strife-torn countries in the region and the North African country.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that DOLE would immediately assist returning OFWs affected by the turmoil in the Middle East and Libya, and that Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Carmelita Dimzon has issued guidelines for the provision of a P10,000 financial relief assistance.

“The financial relief assistance of P10,000 is a one-time grant to qualified displaced OFWs to help them undergo adjustments in their communities. The grant is part of the government’s repatriation assistance program for OFWs that aims to cushion the impact of employment and income displacement affecting the OFWs upon their repatriation to the country,” Baldoz explained.

She said that OFWs seeking assistance must present either their passports, travel documents or two valid identification cards with pictures, and proof of travel from conflict-stricken countries.

Their names must also be included in the list of repatriates maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Labor department or OWWA.
“The release of the financial relief assistance is only [for] one day,” Baldoz said.

She added that the National Reintegration Center for OFWs has readied a package of assistance that includes psycho-social counseling, skills training and upgrading, referral and placement assistance for local and overseas employment, entrepreneurial and management training and business loan that the center and OWWA are coordinating with state financial institutions Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines.

“The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority is also offering free skills assessment to returning OFWs nationwide starting March 23,” Baldoz said.

Once successfully assessed, a worker is issued a skills certificate, which makes him highly qualified for a job requiring his or her particular skill.

Earlier, the OWWA Board issued a resolution providing for a one-time financial assistance to OFWs displaced by political conflict and natural calamities in their host countries.

A budget of P100 million has been allocated for the assistance program, which is now available at OWWA welfare offices in 17 regions.

The Immigration bureau has advised its personnel assigned to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other international airports to strictly enforce the ban on the departure of OFWs to war-torn countries in the Middle East and Libya.

It said that the ban applies to Libya, Yemen and Bahrain, which are experiencing political crises.

Immigration bureau officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said that he alerted Immigration officers to also be on the lookout for Filipinos going to three countries masquerading as tourists.

He reminded Immigration officers to also stop the departure of suspected victims of illegal recruiters and human traffickers.

The Foreign Affairs department earlier issued a travel advisory urging Filipinos to defer non-essential and non-urgent travels to Libya, Yemen and Bahrain until the security situation in those countries has stabilized. –Jomar Canlas, Reporter, Manila Times