The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is set to submit the “preliminary bill” that was drafted by its technical working group in creating the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers before the senate.
Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III said they will submit the draft bill in a form of a memo or a letter as per Business Mirror.
The bill that DOLE drafted was made with consultation from all stakeholders including private recruiters, and other government agencies.
Based on the draft bill, agencies such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) among others will be integrated in the DOFW in which each agency has its own role and operation.
“If anything happens to the three groups, different agencies tend to attend to their constituency. Therefore, it might be logical to integrate the governance structure to address the concerns of these three groups abroad. So there is logic in that,” Lagunzad said.
He added that this arrangement is hoped to assist all Filipino immigrants, regular workers, and irregular workers abroad by prioritizing their needs.
