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| President Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivers his first State of the Nation address. |
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. laid out plans today to make it easier for overseas Filipino workers to process their papers, faster for foreign employers to hire them, and for them to be brought home quickly if abused or fall into dangerous situations.
In his first State of the Nation address (SONA) before the
joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives at the Batasang Pambansa, Marcos said OFWs
deserve these and other measures because of their sacrifices for the country.
“You OFWs represent
the fighting faith of the Filipinos as a nation and as a people,” he said. “Let
us transform your overseas journey into inspirational stories for all time.”
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
His mention of OFWs indicates overseas employment will
remain a government priority to earn foreign exchange for the economy, a strategy that his father started in the 70s.
In fact, he added, his government has initiated talks with
Saudi Arabia for it to reopen to Filipino workers.
“Kaya natin at gagawin natin ang makipagnegosasyon na
mabigyan ang ating mga kababayan doon ng tamang pasahod at mapangalagaan ang
kanilang karapatan at kapakanan,” he said.
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He said Deparment of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan
Ople will go to Saudi Arabia to ensure
adequate staffing to handle the influx of workers there and push the
campaign against human trafficking.
Marcos also said all other diplomatic posts will help in finding more work for OFWs, and bringing back those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
In the Philippines, he said the government will cut red tape in
the processing of OFW papers so that the three months it took for foreign employers
to get their Filipino workers would be shortened to three weeks.
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| Press for details |
“We shall automate the verification of contracts and issue secure overseas employment certification (OEC) that you can keep on your smart phone,” he said, adding that the OFW handbook would be simplified and turned into a pamphlet.
“Mahirap na nga ang buhay kaya naman ayaw na po nating makitang lalo pang nahihirapan ang ating mga manggagawang mandarayuhan sa pagtupad sa kanilang mga pangarap,” he said.
Marcos announced the launch of the One Repatriation Command Center (ORCC) which can be reached through the social media platform ng Department of Migrant Workers and a hotline to give immediate aid to OFWs who are abused and those who find themselves in war zones and other dangerous situations.
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“Noon, nangungutang pa ang isang ina ng bawa’t OFW upang sumakay
ng barko para pumunta sa Maynila at mangatok sa iba’t ibang ahensiya para mapauwi
ang anak na inaapi,” he said. “Ngayon, kami na ang tatawag sa mga magulang ng
OFW para sabihin sa kanila ang petsa kung kailan nila mayayakap ang at
makakapiling ang kanilang mga anak.”
Marcos also thanked former President Rodrigo Duterte, who
signed the law that created the DMW, “this new home for our OFWs.”
In a statement responding to the Marcos speech, Dolores Balladares
Pelaez, chairpersn of Unifil-Migrante Hong Kong, said: “Bongbong Marcos is out
of touch with the reality of overseas Filipinos. Hindi ang intensipikasyon ng labour
export program ang sagot sa problema ng OFWs. Ang kailangan namin ay trabaho sa
‘Pinas, maayos na serbisyo, proteksyon sa trabaho at agarang pagtigil sa patong-patong
na pwersahang bayarin.”
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| PADALA NA! |
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