Senator Erwin Tulfo has once again urged the government to establish a dedicated pension fund for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), saying many of them remain without proper long-term protection despite years of service abroad.
Tulfo made the appeal after joining the Bagong Bayani ng Mundo: OFW Serbisyo Caravan, an initiative of the Marcos administration that brings at least 12 government agencies’ services directly to Filipino workers overseas.
“Current government programs for our migrant workers should not be limited to legal assistance and medical aid; they should also ensure protection for their future once they retire,” Tulfo said in a statement on Sunday, October 19.
He added, “That’s why we are calling for the passage of a law that will provide a pension system for our OFWs so they can reap the rewards of the sacrifices they made for their families and loved ones.”
Tulfo’s proposed Senate Bill No. 252, or the OFW Pension Act, is among his top 20 priority measures. Filed on July 8, the bill seeks to provide a ₱5,000 monthly pension to eligible OFWs engaged in manual, skilled, or technical work.
During his trip to Milan, Italy, the senator also visited a 50-year-old Filipina worker who has been in a vegetative state since a road accident on October 4, 2024. He called on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to strengthen its long-term welfare programs for OFWs in similar situations and said he would reach out to the family of the injured worker for additional support.
Tulfo also met with representatives of Studio Legale Parenti, a legal group assisting Filipinos in Italy who are victims of crimes, scams, abuse, and illegal recruitment. He was joined by officials from the Philippine Consular Office in Milan to review the progress of ongoing cases involving Filipino nationals.
“In the upcoming plenary deliberations on the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Bill in the Senate, we will raise these cases so the government can provide sufficient funding for the protection programs and assistance of the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration,” Tulfo said.
