President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Department of Migrant Workers Act into law on Thursday, December 30.
The establishment of the proposed Department is one of the priorities of the Duterte’s administration. The President even certified it as an urgent bill in March.
The new law is expected to benefit an estimated total of 2.2 million Filipinos abroad.
Under the proposed bill, the Department shall be the primary agency under the Executive Branch of the government tasked to protect the rights and promote the welfare of OFWs, regardless of status and the means of entry into the country of destination.
The POEA will become the core agency while OWWA will become an attached agency.
Under the new department, OFWs will now be defined as a Filipino who is to be engaged, is engaged, or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a country of which he or she is not an immigrant, citizen, or permanent resident or is not awaiting naturalization, recognition, or admission, and so, Filipino immigrants or permanent residents in other countries shall now be Iooked after by the Department of Foreign Affairs and not by the Department of Migrant Workers which shall look after the welfare exclusively of migrant workers only. And of course, so-called “undocumented” or “irregular” OFWs shall Likewise be Iooked after by this new Department.
