(Eagle News) – Several overseas Filipino workers pushed the House of Representatives to fast-track the bill creating the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers.
Some of them even became emotional during a recent hearing of the House Committee on Government Reorganization and House Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs.
The OFWs said that the creation of such a department is long overdue.
“We owe it to our unsung heroes, our OFWs besides they continue to contribute money to our economy. Now it’s time to give them was is due to them,” said Corazon Laraya-Coutis of the Philippine Canadian Community during the hearing.
“So di ba napaka-embarassing na modern-day heroes kami pero wala kaming kuwenta sa sarili naming bayan,” said Renato Marcelo Jr., a former OFW.
House Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano said that they would move for a joint technical working group with the Senate and propose more hearings regarding the issue.
“We will propose that by end of October, nakapag-dalawang hearing man lang in countries na maraming OFWs, and tapos na yung technical working group by the end of first week of November,” he said.
Cayetano said that by the end of November this could already be on the floor for second reading and plenary debates.
President Rodrigo Duterte has been pushing for the creation of the Department of OFWs.
Cayetano said they would follow the President’s directive and fast-track the bill on this.
Under the proposed Department of OFWs, several government offices and positions which cater to the needs of the country’s OFWs currently spread in various departments and agencies would be placed under a single department. These government agencies include the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, National Reintegration Center For OFWs, and International Labor Affairs Bureau which is under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The others are attached agencies of DOLE.
The proposed Department of OFWs will also absorb the Commission on Filipinos Overseas which is under the Office of the President, and the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers, a position which is currently under the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
(Eden Santos, Eagle News Service)
