Kawanihan para sa OFWs isinulong

ISINUSULONG sa Kamara ang pagbubuo ng isang ahensiya na tututok sa kapakanan ng overseas Filipino workers.

Sa pagdinig kahapon ng House Committee on Government hearing, sinabi nina Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, House Majority Leader Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, at Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt Romualdez, pinag-uusapan ng mga lider sa  Kamara at ng Senado ang proseso kung paano ito mabubuo.

“Isang joint technical working group [ang kailangan] para ma-thresh out lahat ng issues. I just want to emphasize that this bill can be described by one word — focus,” ani Cayetano na isa sa principal authors ng panukala.

Ayon naman sa mag-asawang Martin at Yedda Romualdez, parehong awtor ng House Bill (HB) No.  3274, ang kawalan ng isang ahesiya na tutugon sa “foreign employment” ay hadlang para sa gobyerno na tutukan ang mga pangangailangan ng mga Filipinona nagta­trabaho sa ibang bansa.

“Furthermore, the lack of coordination among these agencies and redundancy of work lead to confusion among our OFWs and compromises the services to be rendered to our modern-day heroes. Despite the existence of agencies to protect Filipinos abroad, numerous problems and challenges confront OFWs and their families: illegal recruitment, employer abuse, sexual abuse, inadequate benefits, inefficient and ineffective delivery of services to OFWs, lack of repre­sentation of the OFW interests in the agencies that are supposed to protect and promote their rights, among others,” ayon sa mga Romualdez.

Ayon kay Deputy Speakers Raneo Abu ng Batangas kailangan na nga ng OFWs ang batas.

“We support the proposed law aimed at lessening illegal recruit­ment and abuse against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) while hastening the delivery of services to them. Guaranteed pro­tection for their rights and welfare is our own little way of returning the huge favor they have been extending to sustain the country’s positive economy,” ani Abu.

(GERRY BALDO)