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| Chavez (with beret) meets media and NGO heads in 2nd day of Filcom consultations |
Distressed overseas Filipino workers who will be accepted into the new shelter to be opened by the Migrant Workers Office in far-off Tai Po won’t have to worry about the costs of attending their court hearings or other official appointments as they will be driven there on new vehicles to be bought with funds from the Philippine government.
This was according to Labor Attache Cesar L. Chavez,
Jr. during his first meeting on Wednesday with members of Philippine media and
some non-government organizations supporting Filipino migrant workers.
“We want everything to be right. It should be the best
that the government can do for them,” said Chavez, as he gave more details about the
new and bigger shelter that the Department of Migrant Workers has secured for
OFWs facing legal, health and other challenges.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
He said the Hong Kong government has yet to give its
approval for the new shelter to be recognized as an extension of the Consulate but he decided to make the required payment to
secure the lease for the new premises that can accommodate more than 30
residents at any given time, as well as four dedicated staff.
“We are getting four times the allocation for the
previous shelter but we really need to provide temporary shelter for more (OFWs
in need),” said Chavez.
The bigger funding support from the DMW will also
cover the cost of commissioning four law firms to help with court cases involving
Filipino migrant workers, including those at the shelter, which he said, appear to be on the rise.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Along with this, more staff will be added to the assistance
to nationals team at the MWO, including translators who should be able to read,
speak and write Cantonese.
Chavez disclosed that Social Welfare Attache Rem
Marcelino who is with the ATN section is already due for recall to the
Philippines, but he has asked that she be retained to help with the transition.
Earlier, the new labor chief told The SUN that a
bigger space in the same building in Admiralty is being eyed to replace the
space that MWO is now occupying, when their lease ends in August.
Chavez bared many other plans, including making employment
agencies and employers more accountable for the Filipino domestic workers that
they hire.
These include requiring employers sign an undertaking
that they will provide not just for free air ticket, but also luggage allowance
for the return home of a Filipino worker whose contract they just pre-terminated.
