Press Release
May 13, 2016

GREATER GOVT SUPPORT, MORE FUNDS FOR OFW WELFARE PROGRAMS UNDER NEW OWWA LAW - ANGARA

Senator Sonny Angara has hailed the signing into law of a bill that institutionalizes and strengthens the government's support to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families by introducing reforms to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

"Nagpapasalamat po ako sa ating Pangulong Aquino at sa ating mga kasamahan sa Senado at Kongreso sa pagpasa ng batas na ito na naglalayong palakasin ang mandato ng OWWA upang mas matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga dakilang OFW at ang kanilang mga pamilya," said Angara, acting chairman of the Senate labor committee and sponsor and one of the authors of the new OWWA law.

Under Republic Act 10801, OWWA is declared as a national government agency and an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment, and would now receive government funding instead of relying solely from the contributions of its OFW members.

The recently enacted law also mandates greater representation of OFWs in the OWWA Board of Trustees by increasing the number of representatives from the OFW sector from the present three to five (two from land-based OFWs, two from sea-based OFWs and one from the women sector) while representatives from the government will be reduced from seven to six.

"As the principal agency of the government that serves and promotes the rights, interest and welfare of OFWs and their families, the composition of the OWWA Board of Trustees must be reformed to really represent the OFW sector. Sa ilalim ng batas na ito, higit nang mabibigyan ng boses ang ating 2.4 milyong OFWs sa kung saan mapupunta ang pondo ng OWWA at sa kung anong programa at serbisyo ang dapat bigyang prayoridad at lalo pang paigtingin," Angara said.

RA 10801 further boosts the government's capacity to assist migrant workers who lost their jobs by making the reintegration of OFWs one of the core programs of OWWA, which will be funded with not less than 10 percent of the total collection every year.

The reintegration program includes granting of loans and other financial support, trainings on financial literacy, entrepreneurial development, techno-skills, business counseling as well as job referrals for both local and overseas employment.

The new law also seeks to ensure transparency in the utilization and management of the OWWA funds, and mandates the OWWA to maintain an interactive website to collect OFW feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints on existing programs and services.

"Gaano man kalayo ang mga OFW sa ating bansa, nais nating iparamdam sa kanila, sa pamamagitan ng batas na ito, na mayroon tayong gobyerno na nakikinig at agad tumutugon sa kanilang mga hinaing at problema. We should better equip and strengthen the OWWA so it can truly fulfill its special duty of developing and implementing welfare programs and services that respond to the needs of its member-OFWs and their families," Angara said.

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