Senator Bong Go lauded President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to certify as urgent a bill creating a separate department for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Go, a principal author of Senate Bill No. 1949, also known as the “Department of Overseas Filipinos Act of 2020”, said the proposed department would ensure efficient and more responsive delivery of government services to around 10 million Filipinos abroad and their families here in the country.
“They are our modern heroes.”
“Sila (OFWs) po ang mga bagong bayani natin — nagpapakamatay po sila sa ibang bansa para mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang pamilya nila at makatulong sa paglago ng ating ekonomiya. Hindi po nababayaran ang lungkot. Mahirap po mawalay sa kanilang pamilya — kaya naman po bigyan natin sila ng importansya (They are our modern heroes. They work very hard in other countries to give their children a bright future and help improve our economy. Being away from your family is not easy, so let’s give them enough attention),” the legislator said.
The lawmaker appealed to his colleagues in the Senate to prioritize the passage of this crucial measure for the benefit and welfare of OFWs.
“Para sa mga kasamahan ko po sa Senado, nakikiusap po ako sa inyo, alam kong maraming concerns ngayon na dapat nating asikasuhin and this should not take a back seat. Sana po ay alalahanin natin na ang ordinaryong Pilipino ang pinaka-nangangailangan dito (To my colleagues in the Senate, I appeal to you, I know you have many concerns to address and this should not take a back seat. I hope you would remember ordinary Filipinos who need it most),” the senator said.
The senator said the creation of the said department will contribute to the initiative of rightsizing the bureaucracy.
He argued that the proposal would not bloat the bureaucracy, but would rather streamline the functions, improve coordination, and make it more responsive to the needs of the Filipinos it wishes to serve.
“It’s not additional expenditures, but additional help to fast-track services for our OFWs.”
“Hindi po ito dagdag sa gastos, kung hindi dagdag-tulong po ito sa mabilis na serbisyo para sa ating mga kababayang OFWs (It’s not additional expenditures, but additional help to fast-track services for our OFWs),” Go stressed.
He said this is a viable solution so that “we can provide Filipinos the best service that they deserve”.