Another batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Dubai who availed of the amnesty program has arrived in the Philippines on Wednesday, September 19.
The seventh batch of OFWs from the UAE is composed of 109 Filipinos – 87 women and 22 men. With the arrival of the latest batch, the total number of OFWs who returned to the Philippines under the amnesty program has increased to 838.
The Office of Migrant Workers Affairs under the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shouldered the exit fines and the flight tickets of the returning OFWs. The OFWs also received Php5,000 worth of financial aid on top of transportation allowance from Manila to their respective provinces.
Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola reminded the OFWs to follow proper employment procedures and that overseas job posts are authorized by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) before flying abroad.
“Your presence here today demonstrates the kind of care and compassion President Duterte has for our overseas workers,” Arriola said.
Gov’t assistance to repatriated OFWs
Earlier, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary Silvestre Bello III told TFT that among the assistance to be extended to repatriated OFWs from the UAE include cash assistance worth Php20,000 under the livelihood program Balik Pinay, Balik Hanapbuhay (BPBH) program.
Repatriated OFWs and returnees, Bello said, will receive the assistance after attending the trainings organized by DOLE to help them manage their money better.
Once OFWs arrive in the country, DOLE will give them the choice to return to their respective provinces or temporarily stay in a housing facility organized by the Philippine government, free-of-charge.
Aside from financial assistance, skills trainings and seminars will be provided to OFWs. Their children will also be eligible and will be prioritized when applying for scholarships offered by the government.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), meanwhile, has opened the OFW-Enterprise Development and Loan Program where OFWs can loan from Php100,000 to Php2-million payable in seven (7) years, with a grace period of 2 years.
Job opportunities will also be available for those who will be repatriated to the Philippines.
