The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has set aside Php100 million worth of funds under the Welfare Assistance Program (WAP) for the families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by Typhoon Ompong.
OWWA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said they are currently in coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to identify the areas affected by Typhoon Ompong the most. Once the areas have been identified, OFW families will receive financial assistance from the government, reported Business Mirror.
The Php100 million fund will also cover OFWs who were stranded due to the storm.
OWWA’s WAP was established in 2016 to support families of OFWs in times of natural disasters and other emergencies. OWWA noted that since its implementation, WAP has catered to 250,000 OFW families in the country.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) extended financial assistance worth Php5,000 to OFWs stranded at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport due to Typhoon Ompong.
Foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the assistance was extended to OFWs as per the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The President has directed the DFA to prioritize the concerns of our overseas workers and in line with this, we are extending cash assistance of P5,000.00 to those who would be stranded in our airports or seaports while on their way to or from destinations abroad,” Cayetano said.
The assistance is similar to financial assistance given to OFWs who were affected by the runway closure at NAIA last month.
DFA said more than P5.5 million in cash assistance were given to 1,104 overseas workers who were stranded in Manila following the runway accident involving a Xiamen Air 737 at the airport.
NOTE: Photo featured in the article was taken from Philstar.
