OWWA exec: OFW trust fund to be protected when Congress forms migrant workers dept
Credit to Author: clopez| Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2019 07:41:00 +0000
BAGUIO CITY –– The migrant workers’ trust fund would be protected once Congress organizes a department for overseas Filipino workers (OFW), which President Duterte suggested in July.
Hans Leo Cacdac, the administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration on Saturday (Aug. 3), said the Department of Labor and Employment and all its attached agencies have been drawing up a position paper outlining proposed mechanisms and institutional issues that would need to be addressed by Congress.
Cacdac was here to attend a program honoring OFW children who completed college courses in the Cordillera using OWWA scholarship grants.
Cacdac said he was not allowed to release details about the position paper, but drafts have been transmitted to “stakeholders” for feedback.
Labor agencies and legislators will not compromise the OWWA Fund, which pays for all benefits and services to which registered OFWs are entitled, Cacdac asserted.
Each migrant worker, who lists up as OWWA member, supports the fund with the required $25 membership contribution.
Mr. Duterte said he wanted a Department of OFW to be up by December to vet job recruitments for overseas employment to curb or eliminate abuses.
About 2.3 million OFWs contributed more than P200 billion last year based on a 2018 survey, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. /lzb