The Philippine government plans to provide performance bonds and trainings for employers of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in response to cases of abuse towards Filipino workers overseas.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said a performance bond, a form of insurance that would be given to employers if an OFW decides to leave before the contract ends, would help lessen cases of employers who lock OFWs who attempt to run away.
POEA administrator Bernard Olalia said employers do not want contracts to end due to the high cost of employing domestic helpers since most employers in the Gulf state usually shoulder the visa, medical, and transportation fees of domestic workers they wish to hire.
“Isa sa mga solusyon na isasama namin sa guidelines ay ang maglagay ng performance bond para sa mga employer para kapag hindi nasunod [ang kontrata] at umalis ang domestic worker, mayroong insurance company na magbabalik doon sa high cost na binayaran ng employer,” Olalia said.
Aside from performance bonds, foreign employers will also undergo “trainings” regarding the rights of OFWs and how to treat them well.
“Ire-require rin natin na ma-train ang mga foreign employers dahil kailangan din nilang malaman ‘yung mga karapatan ng domestic workers,” he said.
The propositions will be included in the OFW guidelines on recruitment and deployment being crafted by the POEA. The guidelines are patterned with the recently signed labor deal between the Philippines and Kuwait which seeks to protect the rights of OFWs in the Gulf state.
Once the guidelines are released, Filipino domestic helpers will be allowed to work in Kuwait again.
The deployment ban to Kuwait was imposed following the death of OFW Joanna Demafelis whose body was found stuffed inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment in the Gulf state.
The ban was lifted in May following the signing of the labor deal between the two countries.
