Gov’t to deploy social welfare attaches abroad
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2019 12:30:46 +0000
The government will establish social welfare attachés abroad to extend assistance to overseas Filipino workers based on a new law signed by President Duterte.
Republic Act No. 11299 amended the Republic Act No. 8045 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 to allow the deployment of new social welfare offices in countries that host many OFWs.
“The State shall afford full protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all,” the law said.
“Towards the end, the State shall provide adequate and timely social economic and legal services to Filipino migrant workers, especially for workers who are vulnerable to physical, emotional, and psychological stress or abuse,” it added.
Under the law, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will deploy social welfare attachés in countries with large concentration of OFWs. The offices, which must have minimum qualifications set by the Civil Service Commission and preferred qualifications prescribed by the DSWD, will be established in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Labor and Employment.
The new offices must manage case of OFWs in distress in need of psychosocial services such as victims of trafficking of illegal recruitment, rape or sexual abuse, maltreatment or other forms of abuse, and cases of abandoned children.
It must also conduct surveys and prepare official social welfare situationers on OFWs, establish a network with overseas-based social welfare agencies and groups to assist in providing services, and respond to and monitor resolution of complaints of OFWs and their families.
Among other functions are to establish and keep a data bank and documentation of OFWs and their families as well as submit regular reports to the DSWD and DFA home offices on plans, recommendations, and updates on the situation of OFWs.
The funding of the social welfare offices will be sourced from the DSWD’s annual budget. (Genalyn Kabiling)