In a bid to provide full protection to overseas Filipino workers and their families, Sen. Alan Peter S. Cayetano has filed Senate Bill No. 1435 creating the Department of Foreign Employment.
Under SB No. 1435, the proposed DoFE will be a one-stop umbrella agency devoted to address all issues and grievances of OFWs, including the promotion of their full and just employment and the mitigation of social costs back home. The head of the agency will hold a rank of Cabinet Secretary.
Specifically, the department shall be the primary policy, programming, coordinating, and administrative entity of the Executive branch, providing assistance to OFWs in the field of overseas labor and employment.
Its proposed R1-billion OFW Distress and Assistance Fund shall be used to provide financial support for OFWs in distress – including repatriation and provisions for life-saving funds in times of great emergency – as well as training and livelihood loans for returning OFWs.
In filing the measure, Cayetano pointed out that each year, around two million Filipinos are leaving the country to work abroad due to poverty and joblessness at home.
Most of these migrant workers, the senator lamented, are forced to endure oppressive work conditions at the hands of abusive employers or illegal recruiters.
“Despite the existence of agencies to protect them, OFWs and their families continue to face numerous problems and challenges such as illegal recruitment; employer abuse; inadequate benefits; inefficient and ineffective delivery of services; and the lack of representation in the agencies that are supposed to protect and promote their rights,” he said.
“Hence, there is a pressing need to prioritize the creation of an agency that would manage, harmonize, and strengthen existing policies and programs to address the needs of foreign Filipino employment,” Cayetano added.
The senator’s initiative came weeks after President Duterte announced during his state visit to Saudi Arabia that a department for OFWs is now in the works but jurisdiction on its creation lies with Congress. (Elena L. Aben)