Manila: Vice-President Jejomar Binay wants the various government agencies concerned with migrant employment to get their act together so that they can deliver proper services to nationals abroad.
Binay, who holds the concurrent post of presidential adviser for Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) concerns, said he has heard reports that the government agencies have been having a difficult time providing services to nationals abroad because of certain problems concerning the bureaucracy.
In the course of the several days since he had been appointed by President Benigno Aquino III to the sensitive post, Binay has had meetings with officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
The meetings were held to thresh out problems in the bureaucracy and clearly delineate these agencies' respective functions so that there will be no overlapping of duties and responsibilities.
He said it is imperative that the various agencies related to OFWs know their respective functions, so that welfare, concerns and issues that OFWs face abroad can be properly addressed.
"From what I heard, the government had no shortcomings in providing assistance to Filipinos working abroad. We will see how we can further improve our services to them," he said in Filipino.
During the briefings, the three agencies informed Binay that the main concerns of OFWs include repatriation, illegal recruitment, excessive collection of placement fees, and legal assistance, among others.
