Good News for Millions of Filipino Migrants
Good news comes from Manila after new law signed recently by President Rodrigo Duterte mandates the Philippine government to distribute free handbooks containing information about the rights and responsibilities of Filipino migrant workers across the globe.
OFW Handbook Law:
The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)
Handbook Law, also known as Republic Act No. 11227, directs the government, in
particular the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to provide
each and every Philippine national working abroad with the handy resource,
which also includes basic information about living conditions in various
countries where workers may be planning to go.
The new law was signed by Duterte on
February 22; however, news of its becoming law was published by the government of
Philippines on Saturday, March 2.
Under the legislation, the POEA is
mandated to develop, publish, disseminate and update a handbook.
Senator Manny Pacquiao, principal
author of the bill, said it was the government’s obligation to ensure the
safety and welfare of the millions of OFWs all over the world, “By providing
them with standard printed information.”
“We want to equip our OFWs with the
necessary information they can access once they are out there in the global
marketplace,” Pacquiao said.
The handbook will be written in
various languages, as well as dialects, that would be easily understood by Overseas
Filipino Workers.
Pacquiao said, while the 23-year old
Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995
authorised the POEA to “undertake other programmers or resort to other modes of
information and dissemination campaign”, past efforts by government agencies to
provide OFWs with such handbooks had been limited — and the information
contained therein was “inconsistent.”
OFW handbook to decrease abusing rate:
Senator Joel Villanueva, sponsor of
the bill as chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment and Human
Resources Development, said the distribution of such handbooks would help in
preventing abuses against Filipino workers abroad.
“In the face of increasing number of
abuses against OFWs, perhaps, we can go back to the basics by equipping our
workers abroad with the right information at the right time and in the right
way,” Villanueva said.
According to Villanueva, the guidebook
would also empower migrant workers by making them aware of the benefits and
drawbacks of working overseas.
Also contained in the handbook is the
necessary information needed by OFWs for their reintegration once they return
to the Philippines.
It is the third good news from President
in past 2 weeks, last month he approved the new law of 50% discount on remittances
to Philippines and the second one was the announcement of social security
system.
The Philippines’ legions of OFWs based
around the world have been instrumental in keeping the country’s economy afloat
during times of crisis.
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3 Good News in 1 Month:
It is the third good news from President Rodrigo Duterte in past 2 weeks, last month he approved the new law of 50% discount on remittances to Philippines and the second one was the announcement of social security system Philippines and off course now this Overseas Filipino workers handbook law will definitely help to protect the rights of the Filipino workers abroad.
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