President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assured overseas Filipino workers that the government is working to ensure the families they left behind in the Philippines are cared for through housing and scholarship programs, among others.
“Our approach now for our OFWs is not just to help our OFW but their family as well here in the Philippines,” the President said in his vlog on Saturday.
“So, things like housing and scholarship programs—we will make sure we are able to give these to the children of our OFWs,” he added.
Mr. Marcos said there are also programs for OFWs who wish to return to the Philippines for good.
“If they are looking for a new job here, we can help them through our training programs. We have what we call reskilling and upskilling especially since most jobs now require highly technical skills. We need to retrain our OFWs to make them competitive in the global market,” he said.
The President said has also been working to improve bilateral ties with countries where Filipinos are staying.
“The only thing I can give in return, in exchange for your invaluable contribution, is to ensure you are protected and improve the lot of the families you have left behind in our country,” he said.
As this developed, the remains of Filipina household worker Jullebee Ranara, who was killed in Kuwait last week, were buried on Sunday morning at the Golden Haven Memorial Park in Las Piñas City.
The case of Ranara, whose burned body was found in the desert in Kuwait, prompted the government to seek a review of its labor pact with Kuwait.
Ranara was reportedly raped and impregnated by the suspect, the 17-year-old son of her employer who is now under police custody.
President Marcos said a bilateral meeting is being scheduled with Kuwait to check if there are “weaknesses” in the labor agreement between the two countries.