The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has launched a systematic way of assisting Filipinos in distress while working abroad through a help center that will focus on their repatriation.
Dubbed as “One Repatriation Center”, DMW Sec. Susan “Toots” Ople said it will serve as a command center in assisting distressed migrant workers to go back home, be reunited with his family and start a new life.
“This is a product of many minds, many hands, and it signifies the Marcos administration’s desire to put at the center of the bureaucratic universe the rights and welfare of every OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), the right to come home, reunited with the family at every instance when calamity strikes, when a war breaks out, when rights are violated and when human dignity is diminished,” said Ople in a press briefing during the project’s launching on Wednesday, July 20, in Mandaluyong City.
Ople said all the government agencies that are mandated to assist OFWs will work together in the fastest way possible to respond to any call for assistance either by the OFWs themselves or by their friends and families who are aware of their deplorable condition abroad.
“The goal is for all government agencies to work together instead of finger-pointing as to which agency is responsible,” said Ople.
Bernard Olalia, acting administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), said all the agencies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs have already committed to ensure the success of the program.
“One of the main reasons for the launching of this One Repat Center is to avoid confusion among our OFWs. We have the OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration), the POEA, the DFA and our OFWs do not know where to go to seek help,” said Olalia.
“Exactly, this is the purpose of one Repat Command Center,” he added.
Why it is important
Olalia emphasized the need to have a unified effort to assist the OFWs as he cited figures on the number of Filipino migrant workers seeking repatriation every year.
In 2019 alone, Olalia said more than 9,000 Filip[ino migrant workers sought the assistance of the POEA along for repatriation, the common reason was maltreatment by their employers.
In 2020, more than 6,000 OFWs also sought assistance for repatriation from the POEA as most of those who requested for assistance were infected by Covid-19.
From 2021 to date, he said thousands more also requested and the main reason was that the OFWs already ended their contract and were nowhere to go in the past two years due to travel restrictions.
How it works
Based on the explanation of the DMW, the One Repatriation Center will operate 24/7—the office hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday to entertain both walk-in clients, calls and electronic mail messages.
But DMW personnel will still man the command center beyond office hours and even during weekends but will only be limited through calls and e-mails.
OFWs and their relatives could send their request for assistance through the DMW-OWWA hotline 1348 and through the e-mail address [email protected].
“There will be case officers that will receive the calls, 24/7,” said Ople.
Once the request for assistance is received, this will be inputted in the E-CARES database and will be relayed to the proper agencies concerned, both in the country and abroad.
Ople said the documentation is important since it will form part of the processes to expedite the quick repatriation.
The case officers will then evaluate the cases and are expected to produce positive results from the agencies concerned.
Once the cases referred to were validated, the DMW will extend all the assistance both to the OFWs involved and their respective families until such time that the OFWs are repatriated.
The DMW will ensure the safe travel of the distressed OFWs and is also mandated to turn them over to their respective families.
No discrimination
Ople said the One Repatriation Center will not discriminate on whether or not the distressed OFWs were able to work abroad legally.
She assured that even undocumented OFWs will be assisted to go back to the country and be reunited with their family for as long as they are Filipinos who are in dire need to be repatriated.