Philippine lawmakers on Overseas Workers and Foreign Affairs recently visited the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Dubai for a consultation with the Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Alfonso Ferdinand A. Ver, Consul General Renato N. Dueñas, and other officials and personnel. The meeting aimed to discuss matters related to the government’s relations with the UAE and the situation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the country.
Congressman Ron P. Salo, Chair of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, and Congresswoman Maria Rachel J. Arenas, Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, led the visit on March 9, 2023. The consultation covered the condition of OFWs in the UAE, including the benefits and programs offered by the Embassy, Consulate General, and MWO-Dubai for OFWs, and emerging issues such as cross-country hiring and cases involving Filipino nationals.
The UAE and the Philippines maintain strong diplomatic and economic ties, with around 650,000 Filipinos considering the UAE as their second home. Thus, the meeting focused on strengthening relations and providing more services to OFWs.
The visit is consistent with the constitution of the Department of Migrant Workers through RA 11641 and the mandate to continuously institute policies on overseas employment and establish a higher standard of protection and promotion of the welfare of migrant workers, their families, and overseas Filipinos in distress pursuant to the Migrant Workers Act of 1995, RA 8042, as amended.
Congressman Salo, Congresswoman Arenas, and Ambassador Ver also met with distressed Filipino workers currently sheltered in the Migrant Workers and Other Filipinos Resource Center and gave them words of encouragement and assurance as they prepare for their repatriation and reintegration back to the Philippines. A dialogue with the Filipino community leaders in Dubai was also conducted. The visit serves as a positive signal of the government’s unwavering commitment to boost foreign relations and protect the rights and promote the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers in the UAE.
