Network to help OFW families to be set up

A network that would link families of overseas Filipino workers was ordered established by President Gloria Arroyo to help them gain access to service and assistance from the government.

The network, which will be set up by the labour department and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), will require the recruitment of 25 "family welfare officers" to take care of the networking of the OFW families and enable them to gain access to government assistance and service.

Under the set-up, families of OFWs who are registered by the OWWA will be contacted by the family welfare officers to inform them of the benefits and services they are entitled to.

As members of the OWWA, OFWs are entitled to insurance and skills training for themselves or their family members among others. Filipino migrant workers are also entitled to health benefits. Family welfare officers will be designated in provinces and cities where there are large concentrations of OFW families, namely Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Pampanga, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, National Capital Region, Iloilo, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City.

"By organising OFW families, a mechanism for the systematic delivery of services and assistance to the OFWs can be established," Arroyo said.

According to the president, under the reintegration programme, the government, through the OWWA, would assist the OFWs and their families in coping with their situation and provide social counselling services.

The network is expected to increase the availability of government services and is part of the administration's effort to repay OFWs for their contribution to the economy.

More than seven million Filipinos working abroad send a total of $6 billion every year to their families in the country, boosting the country's consumer spending and contributing to the government's foreign exchange reserves. One out of every 10 Filipinos are employed in jobs overseas.

The President also noted that families and dependents organised as cooperatives or rural workers' associations can be the proper vehicles for delivering social services required by them. They could form mutual support groups that could facilitate access to services and assistance, she said.

"We recognise the role that OFW families play in keeping households and communities together even while your loved ones are away," she said as she convened the first plenary session of the Philippine reintegration programme, the administration's programme and thrust designed to address the needs of returning OFWs and their families.

In addition, the president directed the transfer of the livelihood loans and employment assistance programmes being administered by the OWWA to the department of social welfare and development (DSWD).

The president also included in the new package of benefits for OFWs access to housing loans through the Pag-IBIG (Home Mortgage Development Fund), with a 10 per cent equity for those costing over P500,000 ($9,433) and none for those below P500,000. At the same time, the president defended her order for the transfer of the OWWA livelihood loans and employment assistance to the DSWD.

She noted that the DSWD has a more efficient repayment rate system from the livelihood loans compared to that of OWWA's. According to the president, the network would ultimately redound to the best interest of the OFWs and their families since it would serve as their voice.

The president also designated Labour Undersecretary Lucy Lazo to handle the National Network of OFW Families. Arroyo also announced that she would establish a systematic debriefing for OFWs who plan to stay in the country and encourage forward planning among OFWs.