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| OFW suicides in HK is one of the key concerns raised during the Senate committee hearing |
Secretary Hans Cacdac of the Department of Migrant Workers has disclosed that a 24-hour hotline for overseas Filipino workers and their families will soon be launched to provide them support and “ensure their well being.”
Secretary Cacdac made the statement during Wednesday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers headed by Senator Raffy Tulfo, in which the rise in suicide cases among OFWs was among the issues that were taken up.
“This is more than just a hotline. It’s a two-way line of care—our OFWs won’t only be calling us, but we’ll also be proactively reaching out to them,” said Cacdac.
The hotline which will be set up in collaboration with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will be manned by 30 trained former OFWs who will serve as customer care support agents at the DMW One-Stop Shop Action Center in Makati City.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
He was responding to queries from Senator Tulfo about the rash in suicides among OFWs in Hong Kong which he said he learned about during a recent visit to the city.
After following this up with a call to Cacdac, Tulfo learned that in 2023 alone, six OFWs had committed suicide in Hong Kong, five in 2024, and one as of April this year.
The latest case involved a 44-year-old OFW who slashed her wrists, then hanged herself with a cloth due to money problems. Her family members said the victim had borrowed money from a loan syndicate, and had been hounded by collectors after she failed to pay on time.
Debt was also what prompted another OFW to also slash her wrists and overdose on drugs just days earlier. Luckily, she was saved.
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| Cacdac says the high legal interest for loans in HK makes OFW vulnerable to debt problems |
Cacdac said it was unfortunate that Hong Kong laws allow an interest rate of up to 48% for loans, although it is illegal for debt collectors to resort to harassment. Thus, he said the DMW is working with the Hong Kong police in running after the harassers.
He also expressed concern over OFWs being arrested and jailed for money laundering in Hong Kong after they allowed their bank accounts to be controlled by syndicates. He said the DMW has given them lawyers who have been quite successful in getting their sentences reduced.
The assurance is, however, contrary to recent pronouncements by both local prosecutors and the police that they are seeking to get the imprisonment terms increased for those found guilty of allowing their bank accounts to be used as funnels for illicit funds.
The police have often warned that the lending, sale or renting out of ATMs or bank accounts is illegal, and that allowing others to use such accounts as conduits for dirty money makes them equally liable for money laundering.
To date, no OFW has managed to get acquitted on such charges even if there is no evidence directly linking them to the illegal transactions. And in all these cases, it is a duty lawyer provided by the Hong Kong government that appears for them in court.
Those struggling with debt and other problems may seek help from the OFW Global Centre in Hong Kong, said Cacdac, where “at least” 12 volunteer psychologists could provide them with in-person counseling.
He also said the DMW is collaborating with the HK Police Financial Intelligence Unit in including warnings about multiple loans and scams in the post-arrival orientation seminars for newly-arrived OFWs.
