With roughly 2 million Filipinos working across the Middle East, the Department of Migrant Workers is bracing for a drawn-out crisis — and its budget may not hold.
The DMW has earmarked a combined P3.5 billion to support affected overseas Filipino workers, broken down into a P2 billion Action Fund and a P1.5 billion Emergency Repatriation Fund. But department undersecretary Bernard Olalia, speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel forum on Wednesday, was candid about the limits of that figure.
“But it’s already March. Nagastos na po natin ‘yung iba d’yan. And first quarter is done. So we’re looking at the second, third, and fourth quarter at ‘yung repatriation nila will mean a lot,” Olalia said.
The department has already moved to secure backup financing, submitting a formal request to the Department of Budget and Management should the situation worsen.
“Meron na po kaming letter sa DBM at meron na rin pong mga bills pending ngayon for the immediate assistance doon sa aming action fund,” Olalia said, adding: “While presently, sufficient pa po ‘yung pondo, but we need to anticipate if the crisis extends and escalates, kinakailangan ng additional pondo.”
Against that financial backdrop, the human toll remains relatively contained — for now. Of the estimated 2 million OFWs in the region, around 1,000 have been repatriated to date. One Filipino worker has died in Israel, and a Filipino seafarer remains unaccounted for in the Strait of Hormuz.
Olalia framed the funding preparations as a matter of timing. “So ‘yun po ‘yung ating pinaghahandaan,” he said.
