Albay Representative Joey Salceda said that the Philippine government must spend at least Php2 billion to make the Department of Filipinos Overseas (DFO) operational.
Salceda said on Tuesday that the fund will be used to establish regional offices and deploy labor attaches to ensure protection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
“By having a single department, we will be able to essentially protect them, support their families, and reintegrate them when they come home,” Salceda said.
The lawmaker hopes to pass the bill on final reading before yearend.
President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants the department to be up by December.
The OFW department is one of Duterte’s priority bills.
