Solons keen on new migration department
6 agencies from Dole, DFA, OP to be repositioned under new dep’t
MANILA - Lawmakers favor the passage of a bill creating a new Department of Migration and Development (DMD) that would carry out government policies, strategies and programs for the protection and advancement of the growing number of Filipinos overseas.
“There is ample support in both chambers of Congress for the bill establishing the DMD, so we have high hopes the measure will be passed,” ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto ‘John’ Bertiz III said on Monday.
Senators Cynthia Villar and Ralph Recto have filed separate bills batting for the DMD.
In the House, besides Bertiz, Representatives Eric Singson (Ilocos Sur), Arthur Yap (Bohol), Carlos Cojuangco (Tarlac), Rose Marie Arenas (Pangasinan) and Michael Romero (1-Pacman) have also filed separate bills pushing for the new department under various names.
As proposed by Bertiz in House Bill 192, the DMD would plan and manage the country’s migration development agenda, primarily to harness for nation-building Filipino migrants who are coming home with skills and expertise acquired overseas.
“We are pushing for the DMD because it offers a highly practical approach. Departmentalization will enable government to forcefully address all the concerns of Filipino migrants and their families,” Bertiz said.
He said the DMD would also allow the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to focus on tackling equally
pressing domestic issues, such as jobs creation, skills retooling, and putting in check rampant violations of general labor standards, including contractualization.