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I have come across several Facebook posts, which I want to share with you to give you a clear picture of what our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are experiencing amid this global pandemic.
One post said: “Ang laki ng tulong ng mga OFWs sa Pilipinas, pero sa panahon ng Covid-19, ang pamilya ng OFWs ay hindi kasama sa financial assistance.” Another one shared: “Magulang sa Pilipinas: Hindi qualified sa assistance dahil ang anak ay nasa abroad. Anak sa abroad: Apektado ng lockdown at no work, no pay din.”
This is the sad reality among our OFWs today. While some of them continue to receive income for working in what are considered “essential industries,” some have lost their jobs and are already seeking help to survive. The thought of their families in the Philippines receiving little to no financial assistance at all because of the belief that they are well-off since a family member is working abroad, adds emotional toll to the financial battle that they are already experiencing.
Based on reports by Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), a total of 89,436 OFWs were already affected by the Covid-19 crisis. These OFWs were either displaced or on a no-work-no-pay status due to lockdowns and slowdown of operations of businesses in host countries.
More and more OFWs continue to be repatriated because of job losses, while some preferred to stay in their host countries, with high hopes that things would get back to normal soon. According to data from the Department of Labor and Employment, some 21,000 sea-based and 15,000 land-based OFWs have already been repatriated as of April 24 due to the effects of the global health crisis.
The situation we are currently experiencing teaches us a lot of lessons, particularly on the importance of saving. Several months ago, who would have thought that we would experience this global pandemic? Nobody saw it coming. But if saving were a habit each of us had developed over the years, even with the smallest amount possible, enduring this pandemic would have been, at least, bearable.
This is what the Social Security System always emphasizes during our info coverage drives. Saving for the future is an investment and not an expense. Your SSS membership is your investment that you can rely on during emergencies, such as this pandemic. If you are an actively paying OFW member, you may be qualified to avail yourself of the programs that the SSS has implemented since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) took effect in mid-March.
One of these is the Calamity Loan Assistance Program. An actively paying OFW with at least 36 months contributions, six of which are posted within the 12-month period before the month of filing of application, with registered address in the Philippines, has not been granted any final benefit and with no existing loan under the Loan Restructuring Program (LRP) or previous Calamity Loan, may apply for CLAP that is equivalent to the member’s one Monthly Salary Credit or the amount applied for, whichever is lower. We shall open the CLAP for online applications in the coming weeks. However, OFW members are required to register via My.SSS Facility to qualify for the online applications.
OFWs who lost their jobs due to the pandemic may also apply for Unemployment Benefit, and if qualified, they can get cash assistance equivalent to 50 percent of their monthly salary credit, which they will receive for two consecutive months. However, application to this benefit may have to wait until the ECQ is lifted since the computer program for online application is still under process.
OFWs with existing Salary, Calamity, or Emergency Loan, Restructured Loan under the LRP and Educational Assistance Loan are also granted a three-month moratorium from February to April 2020, subject to other qualifying conditions.
The national government, on the other hand, has also extended help to our OFWs through the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong Program, wherein OFWs who lost their jobs due to the pandemic will receive financial assistance amounting to P10,000.
Times may be hard for everyone at the moment, but rest in the thought that this, too, shall pass. We shall overcome this crisis soon, and when it happens, let us take the necessary steps to prepare ourselves for the coming “new normal.”
We encourage everyone, especially our OFWs, to add another layer of protection for themselves by applying for SSS membership. Decide to choose an investment that will become more meaningful as it grows. Opt for an investment that will not only benefit you and your family, but your country as well.
Stay safe, mga kababayan!
Aurora C. Ignacio is SSS president and chief executive officer.
We welcome your questions and insights on the topics that we discuss. E-mail mediaaffairs@sss.gov.ph for topics that you might want us to discuss.