The Philippine Overseas Labor Office for Dubai and the Northern Emirates (POLO-Dubai) has outlined several reasons why OFW applications for the Department of Labor and Employment’s Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (DOLE-AKAP) are not approved.
Labor Attache Felicitas Bay explained that some OFWs who attempt to secure their one-time financial assistance were ineligible since officials found out that they were not terminated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“Kaya nga ang nakalagay doon is the employment was affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But there were some Filipinos na during our evaluation lumalabas doon na hindi iyon ang reason kung bakit sila na-terminate. Kasi if you were terminated as early as December or January, at mayroong reason yung employer bakit ka na-terminate hindi naman nakalagay doon na pandemic,” explained Labor Attache Bay during the Kumustahang Namamahay online discussion headed by spearheaded by Kalayaan 2020 Chair Jason Bucton.
“We are not saying na hindi kami naniniwala. Kaya lang may mga bagay tayong dapat klaruhin. Like kagaya nung salary reduction pala, hindi naman siya no work, no pay. That’s one thing that we have to explain to the individual na hindi daw niya alam na hindi kasali yung salary reduction. So we consider the OFW inelligible or hindi siya qualified. Naiintindihan niya yan kasi ine-explain naman natin. So yung mga visit visa, ine-explain natin na hindi pwede kasi naka visit-visa,” explained Labor Attache Bay.
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Data from the POLO Dubai reveal that they have received a total of 79,800 applications, of which 26,752 have been evaluated. Of this number 9,691 have been approved of which 6,924 overseas Filipinos have already claimed their one-time financial assistance from the government.
