The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has assured assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the weeklong suspension of non-essential business activities in Macau.
The DMW would provide food packs and medicines throughout the disruption of the operations from July 11-18, said DMW Secretary Susan Ople in a statement.
“We are closely monitoring the situation because of the ‘No Pay Leave’ policy that the Macau government has declared for the entire week. Our consul general will be using diplomatic channels to bring our concern over this labor policy to the relevant authorities in Macau,” she said.
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“Based on the assessment of Labor Attaché Atty. Ma. Nena German, the probability of mass retrenchment of workers during the weeklong suspension of non-essential business activities will not take place. This is purely a health-related and temporary measure meant to disrupt the spread of the coronavirus,” Ople added.
Earlier, Ople and the Philippine Foreign Affairs Acting Migrant Workers’ Undersecretary Eddie de Vega had met via teleconference with Philippine Consulate officials, led by Consul-General Porfirio Mayo Jr., and leaders of Filipino communities in Macau to plan out assistance to affected OFWs.
