The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has allocated another P200 million pesos for next year on top of the P500 million that was recently approved for cash aid grant financial assistance to distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
Celerino “Chie” Umandap, OWWA Board of Trustee, said the cash aid program of the government is aimed at helping former OFWs who lost jobs and were affected by the pandemic.
"This is also aimed at encouraging them to put up their business for them to stay in the country and earn money with their family," said Umandap, founder of AkOOFWs.
He said the program will also encourage OFWs to create a group of former OFWs in order for them to receive grant and other financial cash assistance from OWWA.
The agreement is that if the group has rive to 10 members, they will receive P150,000 grant from OWWA and P250,000 if they have 11 to 25 members.
"If the the have members 16 to 30 they will receive P500,000 and if you have members of the group 31 and above you group will receive P1 million," he said.
But Umandap said the group or association must be registered in the government institution like Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Security And Exchange Commission (SEC) Department Of Trade and Industry (,DTI) or in the Cooperative Commission.