Duterte signs into law Handbook for OFWs Act

by Consuelo Marquez, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 2, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the bill that offers handbooks for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) containing their rights and benefits.

Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11227 or “Handbook for OFWs Act of 2018” on Feb. 22, 2019, which was only issued to media on Saturday.

The new law seeks to “publish, disseminate and update a handbook on the rights and responsibilities of migrant workers” which also amended Republic Act No. 8042 or the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.”

It also aims to empower OFWs by making them fully aware of their benefits and drawbacks of working overseas.

The law will also provide a basic information on the labor and living conditions in the country of the worker’s destination.

The agencies mandated to implement the law are Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in coordination with Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

The amount needed for continuous publication, distribution and update of the OFW Handbook will be taken from the appropriations of POEA. /jpv