Go repeats Rody’s DOFil call
It will streamline all functions currently being carried out by various government agencies such as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
Echoing repeated calls by President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Tuesday pushed anew the passage of a bill which will establish a department solely for Filipinos overseas.
Go, during a Senate hearing on Monday, said that the Department of Overseas Filipinos (DOFil) to be created under Senate Bill 1949 will make the delivery of services for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) more accessible.
He stated that it will streamline all functions currently being carried out by various government agencies such as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
By putting these agencies under one umbrella, the senator said it will eliminate one of the OFW’s main problems — the confusing process of seeking help from the government.
“The President has been steadfast in his position that the country needs a department to properly address the concerns of Filipinos overseas,” he said.
“This bill has a simple goal. We want to have a government agency which will serve as a one-stop-shop for all the concerns of our kababayans (compatriots) abroad,” he added.
By putting these agencies under one umbrella, the senator said it will eliminate one of the OFW’s main problems — the confusing process of seeking help from the government.
Aside from creating a more efficient help system, the ‘one-country’ strategy through DOFil will also require officials in Philippine diplomatic posts to act together as one team, per country of assignment.
“This is a measure to streamline the bureaucracy. Instead of separate agencies, isn’t it better to have them together on one roof? One team, one mandate. We need a one-country-team approach,” he said.
Go, the principal sponsor of the bill, appealed to his colleagues in the Senate to consider the realities on the ground where OFW, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are struggling to access assistance from the government during these unprecedented times.
“We are here not only to file laws but to formulate solutions. I am appealing to my colleagues here in the Senate. Help us craft this law and help us craft this is a way that would truly work and achieve its intended objective,” he added.
Backed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Commission on Filipinos Overseas and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, its creation has been certified as urgent by Duterte.
Nograles earlier said that the department will help eliminate illegal recruitment as it will not only improve the current slow and complicated job application in legal firms but will also reinforce the country’s security arm in apprehending illegal recruiters.