Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople has expressed optimism of the immediate approval of their proposed P15.2 billion budget for 2023.
Ople said the budget would formally constitute the department as a full-fledged cabinet office as it would allow the provision of effective and efficient services to its primary concerns.
The DMW’s P15.2 billion budget proposal was approved at the Lower House and the Senate Subcommittee on Finance in September. It will be discussed in the Senate plenary on Nov. 10.
“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.
Of the P15.2 billion budget, P3.5 billion was allocated for the DMW and P11.7 billion to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in order to continue its mission to uphold the welfare of Filipino migrant workers.
More specifically, Ople said the budget would be spent on the capital outlay, operating expenses, and personnel services, among others, of both the DMW and OWWA.
“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.