Fifty-eight women bound for domestic jobs in the Middle East are now under government care after being pulled from a Parañaque City accommodation facility that authorities moved to shut down on July 25.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) stepped in with welfare support for the group immediately after the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) carried out a rescue and closure operation at the site. All 58 were female OFW applicants awaiting deployment.
DMW’s assessment found the facility was believed to be operating without registration. Inspectors flagged it as overcrowded and unsafe, falling short of the standards required for lodging that houses workers preparing to go abroad.
OWWA arranged transportation for the applicants and moved them into temporary shelter at one of its partner facilities. The agency said it is conducting welfare assessments, handling documentation, and managing individual cases to keep the women safe and connected to the services they are entitled to.
Coordination between OWWA and DMW remains ongoing, alongside other agencies, so that each applicant receives protection, assistance, and referrals while their circumstances are sorted out.
The agency framed the intervention as part of its mandate as the primary social protection body for Filipino workers overseas and their families, positioning the response under its Alagang OWWA program built around the principle that no worker should be abandoned during a crisis.
