DMW to assist OFWs affected by flight disruptions
MIGRANT Workers Secretary Susan Ople has ordered department personnel posted abroad and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to continue assisting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the flight disruptions that occurred Sunday in various Philippine international airports.
“The DMW and OWWA, as its attached agency, will continue to assist affected OFW passengers until all flight schedules have been rebooked and are on track,” the DMW secretary said.
Ople issued the order as flight schedules across the country’s airports began shifting to normal operations.
Undersecretary for Foreign Employment and Welfare Services Hans Cacdac and OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio were instructed by Ople to oversee the support and assistance activities for affected OFWs.
In a report to the DMW secretary, Cacdac said some 3,000 affected OFWs were provided food packs and water. Hotel accommodations and transportation were also provided for those whose flights were rescheduled or rebooked.
OWWA Administrator Arnel Ignacio, meanwhile, said all airport assistance teams across the country remain on standby to assist OFWs on their journey.
Ignacio reminds OFWs whose flights remain affected by flight disruptions to approach any of the OWWA and DMW assistance centers at the airport terminals. They may also call the DMW Hotline (1348) if they need assistance.
Manila-bound OFWs may also approach any of the OWWA personnel at the airport terminals.
Migrant Workers Welfare Offices (MWOs), formerly known as Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs), also provided on-site assistance to stranded OFWs in airports abroad.
In Taiwan, MWO Cesar Chavez Jr. reported some 500 OFWs and other Filipino nationals onboard Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific (CebuPac), Eva Air, and other airlines stranded at the Taoyuan Airport Sunday were provided accommodations, food, and other necessities by MWO staff, airline, and airport personnel.
At Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports, MWO Ramon Pastrana and Assistant MWO Barwin Villordon reported that stranded passengers were provided sandwiches, soft drinks, and bottled water as they waited for the resumption of flights to Manila.
At the Hongkong International Airport, Assistant MWO Antonio Villafuerte said Migrant Workers’ Officers coordinated with airline representatives in providing overnight hotel accommodations and food vouchers to stranded passengers.
