By: Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte is allocating more than P1 billion to protect the rights and welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers.
The President recognized the heroism and sacrifices of the OFWs in giving them a higher budget during his State-of-the-Nation Address before a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City last Monday.
“They are our heroes. They and their families have sacrificed much to the – for the country. We all know how a large part of our economic – economy comes from their remittances,” Duterte said in his remarks.
“That is why to ensure that their rights are protected, I ordered the increase of our assistance to the OFW from P400 million to more than P1 billion,” he added.
The President assured that the government has been “hard at work” in securing the rights and welfare of the Filipinos working abroad.
The Department of Labor and Employment recently launched an identification card system to hasten the OFW access to government services. The OFW IDs also meant to replace the overseas employment certificate at no cost to the workers.
At least 17 one-stop shops catering to the needs of the OFWs have also been established by the Department of Labor and Employment.