Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Friday said he is ready to work together with the incoming leadership that will head the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Go made the promise after President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. nominated Susan “Toots” Ople, a known migrant workers advocate, as secretary of the DMW.
Go said he recognizes her vast experience and reminded that the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) must always come first.
“Full support po ako dito kahit sino pong mamuno. At kung saka-sakaling si Ma’am Susan Ople (‘yun), full support po ako dito (I throw my full support whoever heads the agency. And if it’s Ma’am Susan Ople, I am in full support),” said Go in a statement.
“Isa lang po ang aking pakiusap, paalala. Siyempre, unahin ang kapakanan ng ating mga OFWs dahil para po sa kanila itong departamentong ito (I just want to remind. Of course, we need to prioritize the welfare of our OFWs because this department was created for them),” the senator stressed.
The lawmaker reiterated his firm commitment to fully support the newly-created DMW which
President Rodrigo Duterte signed as Republic Act No. 11641 on December 30, 2021.
The creation of the DMW was done in a bid to improve coordination among agencies dealing with the concerns of Filipino migrant workers.
Go stressed that the DMW aims to sufficiently and efficiently commit government's resources to defending and safeguarding the rights and interests of the country's modern-day heroes, citing the immense hardships encountered by Filipino migrant workers.
“Kaya nga natin sila binigyan ng sariling departamento para mayroon pong mag-aaruga sa kanila, mag-aasikaso na hindi na sila kailangan pang magmakaawa o tumakbo sa iba’t ibang ahensya para humingi ng tulong sa iba’t ibang opisina (The reason why we sought to create a single department for them is to make sure there would be someone that will take of them of their needs without having to beg or run to different agencies and offices),” remarked Go.
“Dapat po may nakatutok na departamento. Ayan na po ang departamentong ito, naisakatuparan na po (Somebody has to focus on the department. And this is the department we created),” he added.
Amid transitional challenges, Go said he expects the incoming Marcos administration to expedite the establishment of the new office so that the agency may become operational and serve migrant workers immediately.