Marino party-list solon backs OFW-department bill; Duterte wants OFW recruitment under government 'control and supervision'

Duterte wants OFW recruitment under government 'control and supervision'
Pia Ranada July 12, 2019 https://www.rappler.com/nation/235276-duterte-wants-ofw-recruitment-unde...

President Rodrigo Duterte also warns abusive recruitment agencies that he will run after them

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered that all recruitment of Filipino workers for jobs abroad be placed under the control and supervision of the Philippine government.

This is to protect migrant workers from abusive recruitment agencies, he said.

"Bawal na ang recruitment sa labas. Kung gusto nila...under the supervision of government and walang horrendous charges, hindi ako papayag nang ganoon," said Duterte on Friday, July 12, during a thanksgiving event for OFWs in Quezon City.

(Recruitment from outside is no longer allowed. If they want...it has to be under the supervision of government and no more horrendous charges, I won't allow that.)

His plan is to place all recruitment agencies under the proposed Department for OFWs, which he wants operational by December.

It will be this department that will issue the permit which OFWs will need to present in order to work abroad.

"Government supervision and control, because what is happening and has been happening is not acceptable to the Filipino now," he said to loud cheers from his audience.

Marino party-list solon backs OFW-department bill
ERWIN COLCOL, July 15, 2019 https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/news/701057/marino-party-lis...

Marino party-list Representative Carlo "Sandro" Gonzalez on Monday backed the Senate bill that would create a department for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as he believed the new office could better help resolve the problems of Filipino seafarers.

“Seafarers, as OFWs, are especially vulnerable because they spend most of their time abroad aboard ships in the high seas, where they are unable to seek assistance for their concerns,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez added that seafarers faced problems particular to their situation, such as training and accreditation, due to their highly technical field.

Aside from this, these Filipino workers also confronted legal and psychological issues.

“Seafarers also face illegal recruiters, abuse, loneliness, and all other problems that OFWs have to contend with, but seafarers must face it at sea where there is no way to help them until they come back to a port. They must also visit so many different countries, where various laws may be in force, in the course of a single deployment,” said the party-list representative.

Gonzalez hoped that once the proposed department was established, it would also have a special unit for seafarers.

Senator Bong Go had filed Senate Bill No. 202, or the proposed Department of Overseas Filipinos which has been endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Gonzalez said he was interested in filing a counterpart bill in the House of Representative to facilitate the passage of the measure. — DVM, GMA News