Ni NOEL ABUEL
Nagbunga na ang matagal nang isinusulong ni dating House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano na panukala na bigyan ng pagkilala at bigyan ng proteksyon ang mga overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) matapos lagdaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Act.
“When I first filed Senate Bill No. 1435 on May 4, 2017, I wanted to see the creation of a single department that would address the many issues and concerns of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families face on a regular basis,” sabi ni Cayetano.
Bagama’t hindi ito pumasa, muling inihain ni Cayetano ang panukala noong 2019 at pinakahuli ay noong Marso 11, 2020 nang ipasa ng Kamara ang House Bill No. 5832 kung saan nagsilbi itong Speaker of the House.
“We have always called our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) our modern day heroes but government has not been able to give full attention to them because their welfare is handled by different departments and agencies,” sabi nito.
“We have always found it ironic that while our OFWs have kept our economy vibrant with their remittances over the past decades, they have been given a hard time when it comes to their transactions with government through red tape and bureaucracy,” aniya pa.
Sinabi pa nni Cayetano na sa pamamagitan ng pagtatayo ng bagong departamento ay mas malaking pondo ang ilalaan para sa serbisyo at programa ng mga OFWs at mas madali ang pagtugon ng national government sa oras ng pangangailangan ng mga OFWs.
“During our term as Foreign Affairs Secretary, we became close to OFWs and we advocated for programs such as the Assistance to Nationals Fund and the Legal Assistance Fund to assist our kababayans,” ayon pa dito.
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