31 repatriated OFWs from Saudi get OWWA aid

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Regional Welfare Office III (OWWA RWO 3) on Monday distributed financial assistance to 31 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were repatriated from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

OWWA RWO 3 Regional Director Falconi V. Millar said the 31 repatriated OFWs received P10,000 each under the government’s Financial Relief Assistance Program (FRAP).

“FRAP is a one-time financial assistance for OFWs who were repatriated from Saudi Arabia from January 2016 to December 2019 due to the economic downturn,” Millar said in a social media post.

He said that FRAP also covers OFWs who have pending money claims with the Saudi Arabia labor courts and are unable to return overseas for reemployment since their repatriation.

“The grant is part of the government’s repatriation assistance program which aims to cushion the impact of employment and income displacement affecting OFWs upon their repatriation to the country,” he added.

To avail of the program, Millar said OFWs should accomplish an online application form, show passports bearing the date of repatriation or arrival in the Philippines, and proof of pending money claims in Saudi Arabia.

“An online portal was created for easy access especially during the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic where they can submit the documentary requirements for evaluation and approval," he said.

However, Millar said OFWs who already have amicable settlements such as those done in the KSA's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and those who have availed of other Philippine government programs such as the Department of Labor and Employment-Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (DOLE-AKAP), Project Tabang OFW and Project Educational Assistance through Scholarship in Emergencies (EASE) Program, are not qualified for the FRAP pr ogr am.

DOLE-AKAP is one-time PHP10,000 financial assistance for displaced land-based and sea-based OFWs directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic while the Tabang OFW and EASE programs are educational assistance programs for those qualified college-level dependents of OFWs. (PNA)