DOLE repatriates 15,000 more displaced OFWS

AN additional 15,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWS) were repatriated by the government this week amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported on Thursday.

Citing the latest report from the Overseas Workers Welfare

Administration (OWWA), Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the number of OFWS brought home rose to 218,205 from 205,000 last week.

“Over 40,000 OFWS tested negative for Covid-19 were sent to their provinces this month alone, including the latest batch of 1,440 OFWS who were transported on September 23,” Bello said.

As of September 5, the government was already able to ferry back home some 185,750 OFWS, the labor chief added.

Bello assured the returnees were tested for Covid-19 and were given accommodation, food, transportation aid upon their arrival.

He said the returning OFWS could also avail of DOLE’S Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program, which provides a one-time P10,000, or $200 cash aid, toofws affected by c ovid -19. DOLE said the displaced OFWS could also be redeployed to other destination countries, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, China, Japan, Czech Republic and Taiwan.

Program guidelines

AS additional aid for the repatriated OFWS, OWWA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said they will also be coming out with the guidelines for their Tulong Puso Group Livelihood Program (TPGLP) next week.

“We had a board meeting today [September 24] and the board still has directives. We still need to polish the guidelines. We hope to issue it by next week,” Cacdac told the Businessmirror in a phone interview.

Under the TPGLP, organized OFWS could avail of P150,000 to P1 million livelihood grants.