OFWs given health, safety seminar

MANILA, Philippines — The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said modules on sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are included in its pre-departure orientation seminar (PDOS).

OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon made the clarification Sunday following the statement by Migrante-Middle East urging the government to include sex education in its PDOS.

Migrante issued the statement after the Department of Health (DoH) has recorded 67 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) afflicted with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) on this year alone.

“We have a module on health and safety in our PDOS, which includes lengthy discussions on STD-HIV-Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome(AIDS) and focuses on the prevention aspect,” Dimzon said.

PDOS is required by OWWA to be given by its offices or by other private partners to all OFWs, who are about to be deployed, to orient them on protocols in working abroad.

Topics that are usually discussed during PDOS include employment contract, airport procedure, travel tips, sending remittances, and OWWA benefits.

Asked on why there is still increasing incidence of OFWs infected with HIV despite its inclusion in the PDOS, the OWWA administrator said the choice of whether to follow the modules still depends on workers once they are abroad. –SAMUEL P. MEDENILLA, Manila Bulletin