Department Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople on Friday, Sept. 23, lauded the House of Representatives for the swift approval of the department’s proposed budget for 2023 amounting to P15.2 billion.
Ople also thanked Quezon Representative David “Jayjay” Suarez for defending the appropriation.
In the said amount, P3.5 billion was allocated for the Office of the Secretary headed by Ople.
Meanwhile, the remaining P11.7 billion was intended for the services and operations of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an attached agency to the DMW.
Ople, who is in New York City, United States as part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s delegation during an official visit, hailed the quick approval of their budget.
“The House’s appropriation is the keystone that will finally constitute the DMW as a full-fledged cabinet department,” Ople said in a statement.
She added that the DMW’s 2023 appropriation allows the provision of effective and efficient services to its primary concerns.
“The budget also enables the department to expand its service menu to include e-governance and digitization, and explore productive partnerships and linkages with a broad spectrum of public, private, and multilateral stakeholders,” she said.
Ople also underscored that the appropriation allows the DMW to implement a national reintegration program for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), ensuring that they thrive in their post-overseas labor journey and continue their role as architects of the country’s economic development.