The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) vowed on Tuesday, Jan, 17, to upgrade its shelter facilities in Kuwait and other countries that serve as a home for runaway and distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a statement, DMW Secretary Susan Ople said that in Kuwait for instance, they are scouting for buildings that can serve as temporary shelters for distressed OFWs.
Last week, Ople sent a top-level team headed by Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Arnell Ignacio to check on the condition of the OFWs in Kuwait, particularly in a shelter area where over 400 OFWs are staying.
This, after Ople saw on a virtual inspection the congestion and unhealthy living conditionsOFWs inside the shelter area in Kuwait.
“Based on our ocular inspection, the current place is not conducive to the good health and comfort of our workers," said Cacdac.
"The Secretary (Ople) also gave instructions that the new shelter should have enough room for learning sessions that can be offered to residents on financial literacy, mental wellness and TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) courses for skills upgrades,” he added.
Cacdac earlier announced that the DMW is set to bring home at least 310 distressed OFWs from Kuwait this month.
“Secretary Ople gave explicit instructions that all these distressed OFWs would have to come home with the needs of their respective families also attended to by our department,” Cacdac said in a press conference from Kuwait Monday.