By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz & Recto L. Mercene
WITH 172 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 25 countries having been infected with the novel coronavirus disease and two deaths, President Duterte was asked on Wednesday to include displaced migrant workers in the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act that he signed into law later Tuesday.
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Rep. Raymond C. Mendoza, the chairman of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, made the call, saying, “Their families are sick with worry for their loved ones and have lost their income stream.”
On Wednesday the Department of Foreign Affairs said two Filipinos have died and 172 were confirmed to have been infected with Covid-19; but 80 have recovered and 90 are undergoing treatment.
The DFA said in some countries, identifying Covid-19 patients’ nationalities is prohibited “to avoid discrimination, and some Filipino patients have asked for strict confidentiality regarding their situations.”
Thus, the DFA said, “you will also notice that the DOH IHR numbers are lower than ours because even they cannot get information from official health sources, whereas our posts get info also from the patients, their families and/or the Filipino communities.”
At the same time, it noted that information sharing is now global “and what we release will eventually be known in these other countries; we do not want to negatively affect our nationals abroad.”
The DFA acknowledged that, “It’s a dilemma we face because these restrictions are also not present in many other countries.”
The DFA said they are discussing this issue continually and hope to find a balance between transparency and protection of the welfare of Filipino citizens abroad. “We are also working closely with the DOH to come up with coordinated data to help monitor the conditions of our patients abroad.”
With reference to deaths, the DFA said they are very careful in releasing the data “because people also die of other causes, and we do not want to ascribe the cause of death to Covid-19 unless it is absolutely verifiable.”
The Bayanihan to Heal As One Act provides a subsidy ranging from P5,000 to P8,000 per month to 18-million low-income households through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) expanded 4Ps and through the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong sa Paghahanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) and the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).
Mendoza said DOLE’s March 23 Job Displacement Monitoring Report said 3,169 OFWs were displaced.
“We must include OFWs in the Bayanihan Act coverage. Many were displaced due to travel bans and closed borders. Many lost jobs and many OFW breadwinners cannot remit money home,” said Mendoza.
OFW remittances, he added, “account for 10 percent of Philippine GDP, keeping our economy afloat. They need us now, more than ever. We cannot let them fall through the cracks.”
He noted that the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act does not provide for budget augmentation for livelihood and employment assistance to displaced OFWs.
Still, he said, he said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) has already provided P87.4 million to some 8,477 returning OFWs from Hong Kong, Qatar and Kuwait, among others.
“But the DOLE and DFA social amelioration and assistance programs for OFWs can also be given priority by the President, as these are imperative to address their needs and that of their families,” he said.
Mendoza also urged the President to earmark funds for OFW subsidy and to increase its allocation of P10,000 to P15,000 per month for the entire duration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine period.
He asked the Owwa to intensify its income and livelihood programs for returning OFWs.
The TUCP also urged the government to fast-track the repatriation process as about 1,000 OFWs are still waiting to be repatriated from Hong Kong and Qatar.
“In Italy alone, we have 600 OFWs pleading to be flown home, but the lockdown in Italy does not allow our Department of Foreign Affairs to repatriate them. Two OFWs who have already succumbed to Covid-19 cannot be given proper burial by their family members,” Mendoza said.
In 2018 the PSA reported 2.3 million OFWs throughout the world, about 3.8 percent of whom are not covered with employment contracts.