Govt to release P5B for OFW repatriation

THE government is working on the release of an additional P5 billion for the repatriation and assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd on Sunday announced that President Rodrigo Duterte had approved the release of the allocation.

He noted that a big portion of the money would be released to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), which is in charge of bringing home OFWs displaced by lockdowns and the

closure of establishments overseas.

The OWWA shoulders the cost of coronavirus tests of OFWs upon arrival in the country as well as their food and hotel accommodation while awaiting test results and ferrying them to their home provinces once they test negative for the coronavirus.

The agency has sent home close to 130,000 OFWs since May 15.

The latest batch of 1,185 migrant workers took their rides to their provinces on Saturday, bringing the total of those sent home and given assistance to 129,491.

Bello had requested P2.5 billion more for 597,469 OFWs seeking government assistance.

He said with the additional funding, more returning workers would benefit from the AbotKamay ang Pagtulong sa OFWs program, and even more OFWs would be repatriated and provided with assistance.

“I have directed our POLOs to accelerate the processing of the assistance so that a greater number of our OFWs will benefit soonest from the aid coming from our government,” Bello said, referring to Philippine Overseas Labor Offices.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) had extended a one-time P10,000 or $ 200- cash aid to pandemicaffected OFWs, both onsite and those stranded in the Philippines. This is aside from the OWWA assistance.

As of August 8, P2.5 billion has been spent to aid more than 233,000 land- and seabased workers.

DoLE’s POLOs and OWWA have approved the applications of 267,584 OFWs under the program meant to benefit only 250,000.