From what I noted while watching the State of the Nation (SONA) address of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., he mentioned the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as his 13th priority area. This is good news for those in Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa, where OFWs are largely concentrated. Filipinos in the US, Canada and Australia, on the other hand, are considered as immigrants.
The president reiterated the availability of the One Repatriation Center which was launched by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) last July 20. The center will provide immediate response to repatriation, welfare, and other concerns of distressed OFWs. Anyone can call the One Repat-DMW hotline ‘1-348’ where a team of case officers, welfare officers, and medical professionals will assist them. OFWs can also email to repat@dmw.gov.ph.
“Noon, nangungutang pa ang isang ina ng bawat OFW upang sumakay ng barko para pumunta sa Maynila at mangatok sa iba’t ibang ahensya para mapauwi ang anak na inaapi. Ngayon, kami na ang tatawag sa mga magulang ng OFWs para sabihin sa kanila ang petsa kung kailan nila mayayakap at makakapiling ang kanilang mga anak,” Marcos Jr. explained.
According to DMW spokesman Toby Nebrida, the hotline already received 300 calls and 266 emails from the time it was launched. “We assure our kababayan OFWs we will assist them through the One Repat-DMW,” he added.
I am recommending to Secretary Susan ‘Toots’ Ople to also create a Global Emergency Response and Crisis Center based in the UAE to cover Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EMEA). The three regions have over 3 million OFWs, which is the largest number of migrant workers compared to Asia. EMEA will therefore be the hotspot for the newly-created department that will become fully operational by January 2023.
The fact that the president also mentioned about the labor situation in Saudi Arabia makes the Middle East the most important region in EMEA. “Sa mga susunod na buwan ay magtutungo si Secretary Susan Ople sa Saudi Arabia upang tiyakin na may sapat na puwersang magsisiguro na mabubuksang muli ang empleyo sa bansa, at para maisulong ang ating kampanya laban sa human trafficking,” Marcos Jr. said.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) suspended the deployment of newly hired skilled and household service workers destined for Saudi Arabia since last year.
It will make a lot of sense and practicality to have the Global Emergency Response and Crisis Center in the UAE where there are two international aviaton hubs. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are 8 flight hours to London and Johannesburg, 7 flight hours to Milan, 5.5 flight hours to Kenya, 4 flight hours to Cairo and Tel Aviv, 3 flight hours to Jeddah and Amman, 2 flight hours to Riyadh, 1.5 flight hours to Kuwait, and 1 flight hour to Doha.
The reason why I have mentioned all the flight hours as well as the availability of the two international aviation hubs is for the quick response of a DMW official or team members to travel to the place or ‘jobsite’ of an OFW in grave danger or in a crisis situation. With limited international flights in Manila and the long flying time to the countries I mentioned above the emergency response might become a retrieval instead of a rescue operation.
This proposal to create a Global Emergency Response and Crisis Center is related to one of the additional functions of the Office of Undersecretary for Foreign Employment and Welfare Services, which is to “provide prompt and appropriate response to global emergencies or crisis situations affecting OFWs, and members of their families.” This is found in Section 9 of Republic Act No. 11641 creating the DMW.
Last July 7, the DMW secretary announced that the department will serve as the ‘home’ of every OFW and vowed to simplify the existing processes for enhanced, efficient, and transparent service provision. “The DMW is every OFW’s home in the government and we will ensure that everyone is empowered and protected. Ipaparamdam natin na may kakampi sila, na mayroong makikinig sa kanila, kaya nga ang unang kautusan ko ay bawal ang masungit sa ating mga OFWs dahil hindi biro ang pinagdaraanan nila,” Ople added
At that time she was still reviewing the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s or POEA’s rules and regulations including its system on contract verification and issuance of OECs for the streamlining of its key frontline services.
In his SONA, President Marcos Jr. expressed the final outcome: “We shall automate the verification of contracts and issue secure Overseas Employment Certifications (OEC) that you can keep on your smartphone. I call on the Department of Migrant Workers and the DICT to make this a top priority.”
We wish Secretary Ople and her team all the best. They need all the support we, overseas-based, can extend. And I commit to assist the DMW in whatever capacity I can with my limitations as an employee of a corporate entity in Dubai.
Note: Art Popoy Los Banos is 21-year Dubai resident with his wife, broadcast journalist Rachel Salinel. He is currently the Senior Manager for Corporate Communications of the fully integrated energy logistics service provider Tristar Group, where he is the only Filipino in the senior management team. He was the former 2008 Philippine Independence Day (PID) organizing committee chairman in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Art Popoy and Rachel were named by Illustrado Magazine as one of the Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf for four years, starting in 2015. In December 2019, he received the Philippine Pride Awards in Public Relations from the Philippine Business Council-Abu Dhabi chapter for his ‘exemplary leadership and tireless efforts to continuously support, boost and campaign for excellence to uplift the Filipino image.’ Recently in June this year, Art Popoy was listed as one of the Philippines’ Top 30 Leaders on LinkedIn.