Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello announced that the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga will start operations on May 1.
“All OFWs, kung mayroon silang sakit kasama ang kanilang legal dependents, will be treated in this hospital for free,” Bello said at the Laging Handa briefing.
Duterte’s executive order 154 created the Inter-Agency Committee on the OFW Hospital.
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It will be chaired by the DOLE Secretary and co-chaired by the Secretary of Health. Its members included the Department of Budget and Management Secretary, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chiefs.
There will be two representatives of land-based and sea-based-OFWs.
The funding for the OFW hospital will be charged from the budget of the Labor Department.
Bello previously said that the OFW Hospital and Diagnostic Center is envisioned to be a “legacy” project of the Duterte administration.
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The hospital is also meant to benefit both OFWs and their dependents.
The construction however was delayed due to the impact of COVID-19.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation are also helping in funding the hospital
