THE repatriation fund of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) would bleed dry after September 2021 unless additional funds are injected into its budget to bring home more overseas Filipinos who were affected by the global pandemic.
OWWA Administrator Hans J. Cacdac told in an interview with PTV on Monday: “We have a PHP5.2 billion approved by President [Rodrigo] Duterte through the DBM (Department of Budget and Management). We are really thankful for it.”
RELATED STORY: OWWA to request additional repatriation funds for OFWs
However, he added: “This will last until September. After that, we will need additional funding.”
OWWA expects at least 130,000 more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to come home through the rest of 2021.
With longer stay in quarantine hotels as approved and mandated by the country’s Inter-Agency Task Force, the agency said their new budget request will also cover additional funding for the quarantine accommodations and other needs of returning OFWs.
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This will be the second time OWWA requested additional funding from the Department of Budget and Management.
So far, since May 2020, the Philippines has brought home a total of 612,000 OFWs.
