KAILANGAN NATIN NG KAGAWARAN PARA SA OFWs – KOKO

IGINIIT ni Senador Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III ang kanyang panawagan para sa dagliang paglikha ng Department of overseas Filipino workers (DOFW) na nasa nasyunal na antas at hindi rin maaaring balewalain ng pamahalaan na mahalagang bahagi ng populasyon, halos isa kada 11 Filipino, ang nagtatrabaho at nagtitiis sa ibang bansa upang matiyak at maprotektahan ang kanilang kapakanan.

“We’re talking about scale here. Yes, we have the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), but both these government agencies are already understaffed to meet the growing number and demands of our OFWs,” sabi ng reeleksiyonistang senador mula Mindanao.

“For instance, OWWA has already complained in 2018 that it has just 420 staff worldwide, 300 locally and 120 abroad, addressing the concerns of 10 million OFWs. A dedicated executive department for our foreign workers is the solution,” dagdag pa ni Pimentel.

Binanggit din ng mambabatas mula Min­danao ang mga ulat na mawawalan ang Filipinas ng halos $1.5 bilyong ha­laga ng remittances sanhi ng tinatayang 10 hanggang 15 porsiyentong pagbaba ng pagpapadala ng mga overseas Filipino worker partikular na sa Gitnang Silangan sanhi ng pagbagsak ng presyo ng langis sa pandaigdigang merkado.

Lumitaw rin sa ulat na aabot sa 100,000 trabaho para sa mga OFW ang mawawala sanhi ng hindi magandang sitwasyong pinansiyal ng Saudi Arabia at iba pang bansa sa Gitnang Sila­ngan dahil sa mababang presyo ng langis.

“That’s a big number, considering Saudi Arabia is the most preferred country of destination among OFWs at 25.4%, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Other Middle East countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait follow suit at 15.3% and 6.7%, respectively,” ani Pimentel.

Noong nakaraang taon, nasa 3,000 ­manggagawa ang pi­nauwi sa bansa sa tulong ng OWWA. Bumagsak din ang pagpapadala ng tao nang 10 porsiyento sanhi ng hindi matatag na presyo ng langis.

“The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has lowered the growth targets for both personal and cash remittances to three percent instead of four percent for 2019. We need a more proactive stance to stem this decline,” diin pa ni Pimentel.

“We need a national level policy, implemented by a separate government department, that squarely addresses key employment trends and developments abroad because these have direct economic consequences back home. When foreign countries freeze hiring of skilled and unskilled workers, or when maritime agencies rationalize the hiring of our seafarers, the economic consequences are direct and immediately felt.”

“I believe that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) can be tasked to focus exclusively on domestic employment while a separate department can handle overseas employment,” wika ng senador.

Kabilang sa mga pangako ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte habang nangangampanya noon ang paglikha ng isang kagawaran para sa mga OFW.

Para naman sa senador na isinilang sa Min­danao, isinumite niya noong Mayo 10, 2017 ang Senate Bill 1445 o ang “An Act Creating the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers, Defining its Powers and Functions, Appropriating Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes.”