The deployment of land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) has seen an increase in recent months but has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that both land-based and sea-based deployment rose in 2022 compared to 2021.
“Ang land-based deployment, tumaas ng mga 50 to 70 percent as far as I recall. It could be higher. Sa sea-based, tumaas ng mga by November. By November of last year, same period as compared to 2021, tumaas ng mga 10,000 seafarers ang deployment,” said Cacdac.
“We are already moving forward. But having already said that, we still had not achieved pre-COVID levels sa in deployment. We’re still probably around 50, 60 percent of pre-COVID levels,” he added.
Senator Joel Villanueva asked the DMW for their projection on when deployment would return to pre-pandemic levels.
“The way the trends are going, baka po in two to three years time, maka-pre-COVID na po tayo, this is just my own estimate,” he said.
