MANILA, Feb. 24 — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recently said that majority of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), 107 of 163, who returned to the Philippines in the past two weeks and were provided assistance under the Assist WELL program, came home on account of various contract violations, and not due to the depressed oil price in the global market.
“We thought initially that because of the hype about the decline in the global price of oil, OFWs who would come home will advance this as reason for returning to the Philippines,” DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said. “But the record at the Assist WELL Centers show otherwise.”
Baldoz said majority of the OFWs returned because of contractual violations by their employers such as underpayment of wages, misrepresentation, contract substitution, and excessive collection of fees.
“I have instructed the POEA to address these alleged violations by calling the attention of recruitment agencies that deployed these workers,” she said.
Baldoz said the latest report of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, which supervises the operation of the 18 Assist WELL Processing Centers all over the country, indicate that the purpose for the set-up of the Centers is being met, with OFWs coming home heeding the government’s call to register themselves to avail of government assistance.
The weekly Assist WELL report show that the 163 OFWs who have returned and registered at the Centers came from 15 countries: Bahrain (1 OFW), Canada (2), East Africa (1), Jordan (1), Kuwait (99), Lebanon (2), Malaysia (1), New Caledonia (1), Qatar (6), Saudi Arabia (35), Singapore (2), South America (1), United Arab Emirates (4), Yemen (3), Libya (2), and South Korea (2).
“The bulk of these 163 OFWs were served at the Assist WELL Center of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (127). The rest were served in the Assist Well Centers at the POEA,” Baldoz said. “We provided all of the 163 OFWs with one, or two, or all of these types of assistance, depending on their request. Some of the OFWs avail of one or more service at the Centers.”
On livelihood, the Assist WELL Centers offer various DOLE livelihood programs, such as the Balik-Pinas, Balik-Hanapbuhay; Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbuhay, Community Enterprise, Enterprise Development Training, Kabuhayan Enhancement, Kabuhayan Formation, and the Livelihood Development Assistance Program.
On employment, three OFWs availed of TESDA’s competency assistance and certification; 11 availed of local employment facilitation; and 30 availed of overseas employment services.
“Our system has an Internet-based employment referral system. We have linked the POEA database with the PhilJobNet database so OFWs can choose prospective employers to whom we recommend them,” said Baldoz, adding that the DOLE is engaging local business groups and associations so they could also make available to job applicants their vacancies.
According to Baldoz, other reasons cited by the OFWs for coming home to the Philippines were termination (21), end of contract (16), the oil price crises (8 OFWs), civil unrest (5), and health issues (4).
Baldoz said that two OFWs came home and decided to settle for good in the country. (PIA/DOLE)