The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) praised President Rodrigo Roa Duterte considering the outgoing leader as the ‘Father of OFWs’, given the number of government programs that were implemented in his regime for the well-being of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
“There is no doubt President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) President, the father of OFWs. He is the President who really gave a comprehensive directive to help protect our OFWs,” OWWA chief Hans Leo Cacdac said in a briefing.
The steps taken by the President include establishment of the first OFW hospital in the country, the OFW Bank, as well as the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers.
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“Of course, there are also OWWA programs. I’m proud to say that our direct payment beneficiaries have increased 200 to 250 percent here in our OWWA programs. That is, in livelihood, scholarship, medical, calamity assistance, death and disability, and other OWWA programs are 200 to 250 increase as compared to the previous administrations that received the money right into their hands from OWWA,” Cacdac said.
“Our scholarships that were extended during the time of President Duterte in partnership with CHED (Commission on Higher Education) increased our new OWWA scholars by 100 percent due to the programs inaugurated by the President and (Labor) Secretary Silvestre Bello III,” he added.
“We provided food assistance, quarantine assistance, and transport assistance during Covid-19 and our programs continue, providing assistance to those affected by the pandemic. We also provided cash assistance to distressed returning OFWs returning,” Cacdac said.
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“And then, of course, our Asean Consensus, Comprehensive agreement at the Asean Summit hosted by President Duterte in 2017, the Asean Consensus on the Protection of Migrant Workers Across Southeast Asia,” he added.
“That means we have served more OFWs. On an annual average, we help about 120,000 OFWs a year onsite. There’s no question that in the Duterte administration a very important foundation has been built in terms of extending programs,” he added.
