2 House committees start deliberations on Migrant Workers Relations Commission bill
THE House committees on government reorganization and on overseas workers’ affairs jointly deliberated House Bill (HB) No. 8805 seeking to create the Migrant Workers Relations Commission (MWRC) to exclusively handle all claims and disputes involving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The bill, filed by KABAYAN Partylist Rep. Ron Salo, will establish the MWRC, a quasi-judicial body, to ensure focus and expeditious action on various concerns of OFWs.
“The establishment of a dedicated quasi-judicial body exclusively for OFWs will ensure a more focused and streamlined approach to address their specific needs was initially proposed in the original draft creating the DMW in the House of Representatives.
This is consistent with the national policy of having one department, including the attached agencies, catering to the concerns of our migrant workers,” Salo remarked.
“Currently, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) resolves claims and disputes involving OFWs. Considering that the NLRC handles more than 30,000 cases annually, the cases of OFWs are subjected to potential delays and backlogs,” the lawmaker added.
The meeting was attended by representatives from different unions of migrant workers and associations of manning and recruitment agencies namely the Association of Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), Joint Manning Group (JMG), Association of Licensed Manning Agencies (ALMA), Philippine Association of Service Exporters Inc. (PASEI), Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand Association of Employment Providers of the Philippines (EC-ANZAEPP) and Philippine Employment Agencies and Associates for Corporate Employers in the Middle East (PEACEME).
Likewise, representatives from government agencies particularly the DMW, the NLRC, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, (OWWA) attended the hearing to deliver their comments.
AMOSUP, the country’s largest seafarer union, has expressed its full support to the proposed measure.
“I urge my colleagues in Congress to recognize the importance of this measure and support its passage.
The passage of the MWRC stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to the well-being of our modern-day heroes,” Salo concluded.
