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| Repatriation services will also be provided by MWOs from July 1 |
All legal and welfare cases involving overseas
Filipino workers that occur starting July 1 will be handled by the Migrant
Workers Offices (MWO) abroad instead of the Assistance to Nationals section of
the Department of Foreign Affairs.
This was according to Department of Migrant Workers
Undersecretary Hans Cacdac during a media briefing on Thursday.
“At the DMW, we consider the transfer of the ATN OFW
services as being faithful to DMW’s nature… with respect to the DMW being a
home for OFWs [where] OFWs are safe, protected, and there is inclusivity, and a
diverse or multifaceted set of services for our OFWs and their families,” said
Cacdac.
The transfer of ATN services for OFWs is part of Republic
Act No. 11641, the law signed in December 2021 that created the DMW.
In line with the law, the MWOs (which used to be
called Philippine Overseas Labor Office or POLO) will carry out ATN services
for OFWs in their host countries. But the DFA will continue to retain an ATN
fund to aid non-OFWs like permanent residents and students.
The law also provides the transfer of the Department
of Social Welfare and Development’s attached office from Philippine embassies
and consulates abroad to the MWOs.
However, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
which has been taking care of the medical and other welfare services for OFWs,
will remain an attached agency of the DMW.
Along with the streamlining of functions under the
DMW, the Aksyon Fund, short for “Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na
Nangangailangan,” will be used to fund the ATN services.
Congress granted the DMW a seed budget of Php1.2 billion
for Aksyon Fund 2023, and there’s still Php1.082 billion left from that fund.
Cacdac said the fund will initially be used to hire
legal retainers in nine posts - Taiwan, Brunei, Singapore, Dubai, Riyadh,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Prague --- and for humanitarian aid to distressed OFWs
from Sudan, Kuwait and Turkey.
It will also be spent helping pay for the medical
expenses of gravely ill OFWs and pay for their repatriation.
He clarified that ATN will continue handling ongoing
cases with support from the Aksyon Fund until July 1. It will also continue
taking care of such cases beyond the cut-off date in overseas posts where there
are no MWOs.
“The transition should be smooth and seamless in a
sense that… there is no disruption in the delivery of services on the ground.
That’s the key. And we know our colleagues at DFA have done their job in these
ATN OFW services, so we want to make sure that when the baton is passed, the
services will continue undisrupted,” Cacdac said in a mix of English and
Filipino.
He said the ATN had been training MWO staff on the handling
of legal and welfare cases for a year now, and the sessions are now on their fourth
and final leg.
According to the DMW, the following services will now all be handled by
them MWO:
Legal assistance
Assistance to detained and/or convicted OFWs
Assistance in immigration concerns
Provision of legal services through a lawyer/legal counsel for all
criminal and labor cases involving OFWs
Provision of information on host country’s laws, including criminal and
legal procedures
Jail visitation
Assistance during court hearings
Payment of court-imposed penalties and charges
Repatriation of distressed OFWs
Provision of one-way airfare to the Philippines
Medical repatriation, including medical escort, if required
Securing exit visas and payment of immigration penalties
Shipment of remains/cremains (cremated remains) of OFWs and their
personal belongings
Report of death
Quarantine clearance/s
Coordination with next of kin
Funeral/burial assistance
Coordination with OWWA for airport assistance upon arrival and transfer
to home province
Labor-related services
Employment-related complaints
Assistance to victims of illegal recruitment or human trafficking
Claims pertaining to death benefits, end-of-service benefits,
insurance, money claims and other benefits arising from employee-employer
relationship
Welfare assistance
Location of whereabouts and ascertaining condition of OFW
Medical referrals/assistance and hospital visitation
Non-performance of family obligations
Custody of runaway cases
Counseling
Compassionate visit of next of kin
Shelter assistance
Food and transportation assistance
Provision of hygiene/emergency supplies
Reintegration and training
Emergency/crisis response
Food assistance
Transportation assistance
Temporary shelter/accommodation
Provision of hygiene/emergency supplies
Medical assistance
Financial assistance
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