Categories
Politics

HK OFWS CAN REFUSE COVID VACCINATION — VILLANUEVA

The plan of the Hong Kong government to have Filipinos working in the territory vaccinated against COVID-19 must be based on “informed choice” and should never be done under state pressure, Senator Joel Villanueva said. “Kahit naman dito sa atin, wala pong pilitan pagdating sa bakuna. Pero mariin po nating hinihimok ang lahat na magpabakuna. […]

Categories
Politics

FREE SWAB TESTS FOR OFWS, ROFS IN CEBU — GARCIA

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) going home to any of the cities and towns in Cebu province will now have to undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) testing upon arrival at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced the testing will be free of charge. “The new policy will no […]

Categories
Politics

REVIEW PROTOCOLS ON OFW DEPLOYMENT – VILLANUEVA

Senator Joel Villanueva called for a thorough review of protocols on deployment of workers, citing data from the Department of Labor and Employment which showed that the most abused OFWs are household service workers, who are mostly, if not all are women. At the resumption of the public hearings into the proposed creation of the […]

Categories
Politics

SENATE RESUMES WORK ON OFW DEPT BILL – VILLANUEVA

The Senate buckled down to work again to hammer out the “nitty-gritty” of creating a Department of Overseas Filipinos (DoFil) that won’t be just a change of agency name but one truly empowered to protect and promote the rights and the welfare of millions of migrant Filipino workers. “This is not just a re-labeling exercise […]

Categories
Politics

GO: DOFIL WILL STRENGTHEN OFW PROTECTION

Expressing his gratitude over the successful repatriation of Malik Darimbang, an overseas Filipino worker who was stuck in Saudi Arabia for six years due to a legal battle, Senator Bong Go met with Darimbang and renewed his push for the passage of his priority bill creating the Department of Overseas Filipinos (DOFil). “Masaya ako na […]

Categories
Politics

1st OFW HOSPITAL STARTS CONSTRUCTION IN PAMPANGA

The construction of the first-ever overseas Filipino workers (OFW) hospital has recently started after being delayed by quarantine measures imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. During the kick-off ceremony, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the provincial government of Pampanga signed the deed of usufruct for the […]

Categories
Politics

ACTS-OFW PARTYLIST LAUDS DUTERTE CASH AID FOR COLLEGE EDUCATION OF OFW CHILDREN

The ACTS-OFW Partylist has lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for his decision to grant a one-time P30,000 cash assistance for the education needs of some 33,000 children of repatriated or displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are in college. ACTS-OFW Partylist Chairman John Bertiz III said the government’s cash assistance to college-level children of OFWs will go a long way in ensuring that they continue […]

Categories
Politics

AVERT 2-YEAR DEPLOYMENT DROUGHT OF FILIPINO SEAFARERS – VILLANUEVA

A two-year drought in deployment of Filipino seafarers looms large on the horizon unless the government makes drastic interventions such as the reopening of more airports and seaports to expedite the movement of Filipino seafarers while minimizing their risk of being infected of COVID-19, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. When the Senate labor committee resumes […]

Categories
Politics

TESDA SCHOLARSHIPS IN BAYANIHAN 2 TO HELP DISPLACED, RETURNING MIGRANT WORKERS – VILLANUEVA

The P1 billion allocated to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under the Bayanihan 2 bill would go a long way in training displaced workers and returning overseas Filipino workers, said Senator Joel Villanueva. Villanueva said it was high time for the agency to step up to the enormous task of retooling or […]

Categories
Politics

BERTIZ TO GOV’T: RESCUE, REPATRIATE MIGRANT WORKERS STRANDED BY PANDEMIC

Reacting to reports that some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) abroad have resorted to scavenging for food or to selling blood just to survive the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Deputy Director General John Bertiz is appealing for swift action from the concerned government agencies. “It saddens me to learn […]