Senators tackled Monday a pending bill creating a separate Department of Overseas Filipinos (DOF), inching closer to wrapping up a panel report endorsing the proposal for plenary approval.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, resumed public hearing on the DOF bill, allowing overseas workers to participate and provide inputs despite different time zones.
“Nasa iba’t ibang time zones man po ang ating mga kababayang overseas, ’yung pangungumusta mula sa Pilipinas, wala pong pinipiling oras para makaramdam sila ng ginhawa sa pakiramdam,” said Villanueva, even as he acknowledged female overseas Filipino workers (OFW) marking observance of the “Happy International Women’s Day.”
Noting that women OFWs outnumber their male counterparts employed abroad, he cited a 2019 survey on overseas Filipinos: 56 percent or 1,233,120 are female compared to 44 percent male OFWs. “Sila po ang ating mga nanay, ate, ditse at sanse na kalimitang nag-aalaga ng mga anak ng dayuhan, imbes na mag-aruga ng kani-kanilang pamilya dito sa Pilipinas,” he said.
Villanueva indicated this was why the panel, in hearing the DOF bill, was “inclined to address the needs of our female OFWs,” adding that the proposed legislation should include the “touch of women” affirming the importance of including “views and sentiments of women OFWs.”
At the outset, Villanueva noted that having heard from government agencies, the panel was keen to hear from OFWs who risked their lives and limbs to work abroad and to provide for their families back home.”
The senator recalled to the committee that just last Friday, March 6, he received “sad news” that some OFWs were victimized in Saudi by armed men and were “hurt, robbed and abused.”
“Nakakalungkot din pong malaman na sa ganitong pagkakataon, hindi rin agad makakasaklolo ang ating mga kawani ng pamahalaan dahil sa layo ng kinororoonan ng mga nabiktimang OFW sa Abha, Saudi Arabia na halos 8-oras ang byahe mula sa Jeddah,” he added.
At the same time, Villanueva acknowledged the advice to the victims provided by Consul General Edgar Badajos to seek the assistance of the local police and always remember not to open doors to strangers and install additional safety locks in their rented apartments.
The lawmaker lamented that in cases of emergency, there is no local counterpart of “911” or life-saving mechanism that can be relied on by “OFWs in distress situations.”
Image credits: Nonie Reyes