“Department of Migrant Workers”
Under the Marcos administration, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) seeks to make sure that struggling overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) receive enough legal assistance.
Amenah Pangandaman, the secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), stated in a news release that the government has provided PHP1.2 billion for the AKSYON Fund of the DMW, which would be utilized to assist struggling OFWs in various nations.
We understand the struggles our kababayans go through when they are separated from their loved ones, and we continue to make sure that they will be given the proper support they need,” Pangandaman added.
The DMW’s Overseas Employment and Welfare Program, which has a PHP2.7 billion budget, includes the PHP1.2 billion AKSYON Fund. The DBM has also allocated PHP10.039 billion for the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s Emergency Repatriation Program (OWWA). This sum covers 367,287 OFWs in total.
The initiative offers aid in returning human remains and troubled OFWs to the country. According to the DBM, workers are given the necessary assistance, temporary housing at the OWWA Halfway Home, psycho-social therapy, stress debriefing, and transportation services to their respective localities.
The Labor Migration Policy and International Cooperation Program, the Maritime Research and Skills Competency Program, and the Provision for OFW Hospital and Diagnostic Center under the Overseas Employment and Welfare Program, among other programs, are also included in the DMW budget allocation for 2023.
The DBM has allotted PHP15.2 billion to the DMW as part of the projected 2023 National Expenditure Program. The OFWs’ contribution to the economy is acknowledged by the Marcos administration, according to Pangandaman.
Our OFWs are today’s unsung heroes. We respect their sacrifices as they strive to better the lives of their families and strengthen the economy of our nation through their remittances, the speaker continued.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. prioritized meetings with OFWs on his recent trips to Indonesia, Singapore, and the US. Additionally, he reassured OFWs that his administration is making every effort to strengthen the economy and enable them to work domestically rather than abroad.
