At least 255,429 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were hired and sent to work abroad by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) which, it said, forms part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.'s achievements in his first 100 days in office.
The number is 45 percent higher than last year’s deployment record from July to October, said DMW Secretary Susan Ople on Friday, Oct. 7.
In its "First 100 Days Report," the DMW also cited its flagship program for the children of Filipino migrant workers through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
“OWWA and the DMW have rolled out community-based programs for OFW children to build their self-esteem and gain access to new friends and creative courses,” said Ople.
Ople also observed that there were more job opportunities for OFWs, quicker response for repatriation assistance, and better creative programs in the early months of Marcos Jr.'s administration.
“More jobs for OFWs, creative programs for OFW kids, and a quicker response to requests for repatriation assistance round up the DMW’s First 100 Days under the Marcos Administration,” she said.
“Based on data generated by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), around 255,429 Filipino workers were able to land jobs abroad in the first 100 days of the Marcos Administration. This number is higher by 45 percent compared to the deployment of migrant workers from July to October last year,” Ople added.
The DMW predicts a higher turnout of OFW deployment this year due to the lifting of restrictions on sending domestic workers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia starting November 7.
Ople said apart from the comprehensive efforts to enable migrant workers to land decent jobs overseas, the DMW is also maintaining a "One Repatriation Command Center" to ensure that distressed OFWs can come home to their respective families.
“In the First 100 Days, the One Repatriation Command Center (ORCC) of the DMW was able to receive more than 5,066 requests for repatriation assistance, with 1,635 of such cases deemed successfully resolved with the return of our OFWs,” Ople furthered.
She said the rest of the pending cases are now under negotiation.
Ople urged the public to contact the DMW’s hotline 1346 for those seeking repatriation assistance. OFW families and distressed workers can also send them e-mails through [email protected].