Senator Raffy Tulfo has conducted a surprise visit at the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) office in Mandaluyong City on Thursday.
Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, together with DMW senior officials has welcomed Tulfo and briefed the senator on several initiatives and priority programs of the agency.
Tulfo, Chairman of the Committee on Migrant Workers, made the surprise visit to ensure the provision of better and efficient services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.
During the visit, Tulfo said the lack of seats in the waiting area of the DMW’s entrance is a problem, where some of those waiting are just sitting on the pavement.
Moreover, the senator criticized one unit of the DMW, the Government Placement Office (GPO), for its unfair measure wherein deployed workers in government offices get free airfare while those deployed in private companies must pay for their airfare.
Since it is a government-to-government contract, Tulfo noted that the fare of all OFWs entering it should be free.
Migrant Workers Usec. Hans Cacdac has agreed to the senator and said they will study how to carry it out.
Meanwhile, Tulfo bared that he will call for a committee hearing when the Senate session resumes on May 8 for migrant workers to tackle the problems faced by the DMW and how to find solutions to them.
