Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said legal services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) must be uninterrupted in the formal turnover of the OFW component of the assistance-to-nationals (ATN) functions to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) starting July 1, 2023.
“The transition should be smooth and seamless so that services to our OFWs, especially those in distress will be continuous,” Villanueva said.
The principal author and sponsor of the DMW Act, Villanueva said the transfer of ATN functions for OFWs is to ensure that help for OFWs is immediate and does not need to compete with the ATN of the DFA for nationals other than OFWs. The DMW will utilize the Agarang Kalinga
at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan (AKSYON) fund for the purpose while the DFA ATN will be funded separately.
The AKSYON fund, which amounts to P1.082 billion as of June 22, 2023, is intended for the delivery of various services to OFWs, including legal assistance, welfare, and emergency response to migrant Filipinos in need
He expressed optimism that efforts of the DMW are continuous to
fine-tune its system and train its officials and personnel to carry out the critical task.
“The transfer of assistance functions will allow the DMW to establish itself as the go-to agency of our OFWs,” the senator said.
In this way, he said our OFWs will have a “true home and they will be afforded more protection,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader thanked the government of the United Arab Emirates led by its president, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for the pardon of three Filipinos, including two in death row.
Latest government data as of March 2023 showed at least 81 Filipinos abroad are facing cases punishable by death.