Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople vowed to work harder in the service of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) following the approval of nearly P27 billion combined budget for them and its pivotal attached agency, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), in 2023.
Ople sent her appreciation to Appropriations Committee chair Rep. Jay-Jay Suarez during her visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Sept. 8, to talk about the possible lifting of the deployment ban of Filipino migrant workers there.
The DMW chief together with arbiters from the Philippine government led the bilateral discussions with Saudi officials as she also visited the shelters for distressed workers at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh.
The members of the committee moved for the approval of the P15.2 billion budget of the DMW which includes some P3.5 billion that is allocated for the Office of the Secretary, while the OWWA had an approved budget of P11.7 billion for 2023.
“We draw inspiration and courage from the kind words of support for the DMW's budget from committee chair Representative David ‘Jay-Jay’ Suarez and all its members, as we begin formal bilateral labor talks here in Saudi Arabia," said Ople in a statement.
Ople said the smooth approval of their budget inspires them to be more aggressive in implementing programs to uplift the plight of Filipino migrant workers, adding that they will address the necessity of jobs for the OFWs.
“This is a big morale booster for us. The approval of the DMW budget at the committee level of the House is a piece of good news for our OFWs here in Saudi Arabia," she added.