Some migrants oppose OFW department proposal

Some overseas Filipino workers opposed the proposal to establish the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos or DMWOF, which is now being debated in the Senate.

The said proposal was already in the plenary in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.

In his sponsorship speech, Sen. Joel Villanueva, chairman of the Senate labor committee, said that a single agency is needed to focus on the needs of OFWs.

“Sa kasalukuyan, hiwa-hiwalay po ang mga opisina at ahensiyang nagbibigay ng mga serbisyo sa ating mga OFWs at OFs… Sa pamamagitan ng DMWOF, pag-uugnay-ugnayin ang mga ahensiya at opisinang ito at ilalagay sa iisang bahay at iisang bubong, maliban po sa OWWA na magiging attached agency ng kagawaran,” explained Villanueva.

The DMWOF will cover the following:
• POEA
• Some DFA, DSWD, and DOLE offices and activities
• OWWA (as attached agency)

But OFWs have different views on this.

Some think that this is contrary to President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise that emigration to earn a living will be optional, or by choice, because there will be more good jobs in the Philippines.

Some migrants oppose OFW department proposal

“Pagpapatayo ng isang department para mapabilis ang dokumento para makaalis sa bansa? Napakasakit. Ang tingin namin, ‘yung mga anak namin, migration din ang pupuntahan, kung ganyan ang policy ng gobyerno natin,” said Shiela Estrada, chairperson of Progressive Labor Union of Domestic Workers-Hong Kong (PLU).

“Hindi ko sinusuportahan, kasi gusto kong umuwi, at gusto kong umuwi na may trabaho akong makukuha sa Pilipinas… Bakit hindi pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga unemployed at underemployed sa ating bayan?” said Jasmin Ruas, director of Domestic Caretaker Union in Taiwan.