Humanitarian aid
THE national government, through two state agencies, has demonstrated anew its concern over the welfare of beleaguered members of the working class in the country.
This it will do by granting P10,000 financial aid to each overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who lost their high-paying jobs in the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Records show that from 2015 to 2017, more than 10,000 OFWs, mostly construction workers, painters and engineers, were repatriated from the Middle East country.
This, after the workers lost their jobs following their employers’ bankruptcy as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reeled from plunging oil prices in the world market.
Former Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre “Bebot” Bello III, an Ilocano from Isabela, said the workers’ total money claims would now amount to about P5.1 billion.
Pending the payment of the payment of claims, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Social Welfare and Development agreed to help the OFWs.
Some P100 million has been allotted to finance the project, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
DMW Secrcetary Susan “Toots” Ople said this “is a one-time humanitarian assistance because our real goal is to resolve the claims.”
DSWD Secretary Rex V. Gatchalian vowed to have the funds transferred this week and start the disbursement as soon as possible.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of helping the 10,000 former OFWs while they are awaiting KSA to fulfull its promise of compensating the repatriated workers.
Certainly, the government is on the right path in granting humanitarian assistance to the repatriated OFWs.
