The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has appealed for more personnel and resources to strengthen its 24/7 call center operations and other services for overseas Filipino workers.
During a House budget deliberation, OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan revealed that only 30 staff members currently handle the agency’s round-the-clock operations center, with 29 of them employed on a job-order basis. She said the workload has been overwhelming, noting that the office responded to more than 79,000 cases in 2024 and has already managed 42,000 cases in 2025.
“Sa 24/7 [operations] center, meron lang po tayong 30 na tao… Humingi na po kami ng tulong at suporta sa Department of Budget and Management para humingi ng additional 98 [persons] at gawin na pong konkreto at gawing permanenteng opisina yung 24/7 natin na [operations] center,” Caunan explained. She emphasized that more manpower and a permanent office would allow the agency to respond faster and more effectively to OFWs in need.
Caunan also pointed out that the proposed ₱142 million Alagang OWWA fund under the 2026 National Expenditure Program would not be enough to sustain the agency’s OFW lounges at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 3, which serve more than 1.5 million passengers each year. “Unfortunately, yung nasa NEP na ₱142 million, kahit isa po di po namin macocontinue at the level of service that we are giving our OFWs,” she said.
In addition, she pushed for the restoration and expansion of OWWA’s emergency repatriation fund, which she described as essential for contingencies amid global uncertainties.
OWWA’s total proposed budget for 2026 is set at ₱3.485 billion, but the administrator stressed that without additional allocations, critical services for OFWs—including the call center, airport lounges, and repatriation fund—may be compromised.
