Galvez supports bill on Dep't of Overseas Filipinos
Published May 21, 2020 08:42 am
By Mario Casayuran
National Task Force COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. has supported the passage of a bill creating a Department of Overseas Filipinos to handle all affairs involving Filipinos abroad.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr.
(OPAPP / MANILA BULLETIN) Galvez’s green light for the passage of Senate Bill 202 authored by Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘’Bong’’ Go was given in yesterday’s (May 20) public hearing by the Senate Committee of the Whole on preparations and programs of the national government to contain the myriad problems created by the COVID-9 pandemic. “Tama po ang sinasabi natin, minamahal na Senador, na magkakaroon ng isang department na nakatutok sa mga OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), mas maganda po,’’ Galvez said. (Our beloved senator is right in saying that there should be a department that will look after our OFWs. It is much better.) Galvez said the National Task Force has created a special task group for repatriation composed of agencies, such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) to assist OFWs in distress. In yesterday’s hearing, Go said the Department of Overseas Filipinos, once created, would be in a better position to respond to the needs and promote the welfare of Filipino migrant workers, especially in times of crisis. Go cited issues faced by overseas Filipino workers, such as being forced to stay in health quarantine facilities beyond the mandated 14-day quarantine period and OFWs in distress not being able to return home immediately to the country and to their provinces due to limitations in the delivery of services from government agencies such as Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). “Noon pa lamang ay marami nang mga issues ang kinakaharap ng ating mga kababayang nagtatrabaho abroad. Ang paglipat-lipat ng ahensya ay naging pabigat na proseso sa kanila. Mas lumala pa ngayon dahil sa hirap na dulot ng COVID-19 crisis. Kung mayroon pong DOFWs, mas mapapadali sana ang koordinasyon ng mga ahensya at may iisang departamento na tututok sa mga pangangailangan nila,’’he explained. (There were already a lot of issues that our overseas workers faced in the past. Going around the different agencies is already a burden for them. COVID-19 has further worsened the situation. Once the DOFWs is created, efforts of all concerned government agencies that handle overseas Filipinos’ affairs will be consolidated under one department in order to make government services more efficient and responsive.) “These issues encountered by our OFWs prove that we need a single department dedicated for OFWs to be able to meet their needs. Having said that, I reiterate my call to establish a Department of Overseas Filipinos to protect our OFWs and to better provide efficient and effective delivery of services to our OFWs,” Go said in the virtual hearing. Go said the creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos is one of his priority bills filed just more than month after being elected as Senator in 2019 and is also part of the Duterte Administration’s priority legislative agenda. The House of Representatives has passed its version last March. However, its Senate counterpart is still pending in the committee level. “Suportahan po natin ang panukalang ito... Kawawa po talaga ang mga OFWs ngayon. Huwag na po natin silang mas pahirapan pa,’’ Go stressed. ( Let us support this proposal…the present situation of our OFWs is really pitiful. Let us not burden them further. Let us learn from this COVID-19 experience.) “We should make sure that all Filipinos in distress, here or abroad, are given timely assistance and that measures are also undertaken to protect their welfare, especially in times of crises,” he added. The bill aims to address perennial issues such as inefficient coordination among offices concerned with OFW affairs; lack of immediate legal assistance to OFWs in distress; lack of full migration cycle approach in promoting migrant's rights from pre-employment, onsite and reintegration services; and lack of shared database systems that contain relevant information on all OFWs to aid in tracking their status and fast track delivery of assistance to distressed workers. Currently, services and information are scattered throughout several offices. During the same hearing, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III also reported that there were about 34,000 OFWs already repatriated. Another 42,000 OFWs are also expected to arrive in the country by June this year. He also reported on the various assistance provided by the government, particularly the cash assistance under the DOLE-AKAP program for OFWs who are either displaced from work or those who were not able to work because of travel restrictions. Go also noted during the hearing that since some 10 million Filipinos are based overseas including permanent, temporary, and irregular migrants, it is imperative for the government to have a single and more focused department to look after this large number of Filipinos overseas. “The overseas Filipinos comprise approximately 10 percent of the total population of the Philippines. Bigyan natin sila ng mabilis, maayos at mas maaasahang serbisyo lalo na sa oras ng kanilang pangangailangan,’’ he said. (Let us provide them with fast, efficient and reliable services especially at times when they needed it most.) Go’s Senate Bill 202, or the Department of Overseas Filipinos Act of 2019, aims to make government efforts more efficient and responsive to the needs of Filipinos abroad by putting government agencies dealing with OFW concerns under one umbrella. The bill proposes that the several agencies and their powers and functions, funds and appropriations, records, equipment, property, and personnel be transferred to the new department to be established. These agencies include OWWA, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Commission on Filipino Overseas, International Labor Affairs Bureau of DOLE and National Reintegration Center for OFWs. The bill also states that the powers and functions of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs under the DFA and all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices and their officials under DOLE will also be transferred to the new department.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr.(OPAPP / MANILA BULLETIN) Galvez’s green light for the passage of Senate Bill 202 authored by Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘’Bong’’ Go was given in yesterday’s (May 20) public hearing by the Senate Committee of the Whole on preparations and programs of the national government to contain the myriad problems created by the COVID-9 pandemic. “Tama po ang sinasabi natin, minamahal na Senador, na magkakaroon ng isang department na nakatutok sa mga OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), mas maganda po,’’ Galvez said. (Our beloved senator is right in saying that there should be a department that will look after our OFWs. It is much better.) Galvez said the National Task Force has created a special task group for repatriation composed of agencies, such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) to assist OFWs in distress. In yesterday’s hearing, Go said the Department of Overseas Filipinos, once created, would be in a better position to respond to the needs and promote the welfare of Filipino migrant workers, especially in times of crisis. Go cited issues faced by overseas Filipino workers, such as being forced to stay in health quarantine facilities beyond the mandated 14-day quarantine period and OFWs in distress not being able to return home immediately to the country and to their provinces due to limitations in the delivery of services from government agencies such as Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). “Noon pa lamang ay marami nang mga issues ang kinakaharap ng ating mga kababayang nagtatrabaho abroad. Ang paglipat-lipat ng ahensya ay naging pabigat na proseso sa kanila. Mas lumala pa ngayon dahil sa hirap na dulot ng COVID-19 crisis. Kung mayroon pong DOFWs, mas mapapadali sana ang koordinasyon ng mga ahensya at may iisang departamento na tututok sa mga pangangailangan nila,’’he explained. (There were already a lot of issues that our overseas workers faced in the past. Going around the different agencies is already a burden for them. COVID-19 has further worsened the situation. Once the DOFWs is created, efforts of all concerned government agencies that handle overseas Filipinos’ affairs will be consolidated under one department in order to make government services more efficient and responsive.) “These issues encountered by our OFWs prove that we need a single department dedicated for OFWs to be able to meet their needs. Having said that, I reiterate my call to establish a Department of Overseas Filipinos to protect our OFWs and to better provide efficient and effective delivery of services to our OFWs,” Go said in the virtual hearing. Go said the creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos is one of his priority bills filed just more than month after being elected as Senator in 2019 and is also part of the Duterte Administration’s priority legislative agenda. The House of Representatives has passed its version last March. However, its Senate counterpart is still pending in the committee level. “Suportahan po natin ang panukalang ito... Kawawa po talaga ang mga OFWs ngayon. Huwag na po natin silang mas pahirapan pa,’’ Go stressed. ( Let us support this proposal…the present situation of our OFWs is really pitiful. Let us not burden them further. Let us learn from this COVID-19 experience.) “We should make sure that all Filipinos in distress, here or abroad, are given timely assistance and that measures are also undertaken to protect their welfare, especially in times of crises,” he added. The bill aims to address perennial issues such as inefficient coordination among offices concerned with OFW affairs; lack of immediate legal assistance to OFWs in distress; lack of full migration cycle approach in promoting migrant's rights from pre-employment, onsite and reintegration services; and lack of shared database systems that contain relevant information on all OFWs to aid in tracking their status and fast track delivery of assistance to distressed workers. Currently, services and information are scattered throughout several offices. During the same hearing, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III also reported that there were about 34,000 OFWs already repatriated. Another 42,000 OFWs are also expected to arrive in the country by June this year. He also reported on the various assistance provided by the government, particularly the cash assistance under the DOLE-AKAP program for OFWs who are either displaced from work or those who were not able to work because of travel restrictions. Go also noted during the hearing that since some 10 million Filipinos are based overseas including permanent, temporary, and irregular migrants, it is imperative for the government to have a single and more focused department to look after this large number of Filipinos overseas. “The overseas Filipinos comprise approximately 10 percent of the total population of the Philippines. Bigyan natin sila ng mabilis, maayos at mas maaasahang serbisyo lalo na sa oras ng kanilang pangangailangan,’’ he said. (Let us provide them with fast, efficient and reliable services especially at times when they needed it most.) Go’s Senate Bill 202, or the Department of Overseas Filipinos Act of 2019, aims to make government efforts more efficient and responsive to the needs of Filipinos abroad by putting government agencies dealing with OFW concerns under one umbrella. The bill proposes that the several agencies and their powers and functions, funds and appropriations, records, equipment, property, and personnel be transferred to the new department to be established. These agencies include OWWA, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Commission on Filipino Overseas, International Labor Affairs Bureau of DOLE and National Reintegration Center for OFWs. The bill also states that the powers and functions of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs under the DFA and all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices and their officials under DOLE will also be transferred to the new department.