A lawmaker voiced out his opposition that there might be a debate over the phaseout of deployment of household service workers (HSW) with the creation of a new department for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
This was allegedly included in one of the provisions of the proposed bill, which Rizal 2nd Rep. Fidel Nograles said would affect the existing HSW.
According to Nograles, in a report by Manila Bulletin, the said provision has a five-year timeline that ensures only skilled and semi-skilled Filipinos are deployed after the deadline.
Nograles emphasized that the new proposed bill should ensure the welfare of the HSWs since they comprise majority of workers deployed outside the country.
According to the data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), there were 251,349 HSWs of the 459,080 deployed new hires in 2017.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier certified the proposed Department of Filipino Overseas (DFO) Act as ‘urgent’.
It is expected to be discussed as soon as the House of Representatives resumes their session on Monday, January 20.
Earlier, several officials have also voiced their concern in the said provision.
Estrelita Hizon, the private sector representative in the POEA Governing Board, has already warned that the said provision may instead backfire and lead to even more OFWs abuses.
She pointed out in an interview with Business Mirror that these workers will really opt to go abroad as long as they have families to feed and children to be sent to school.
