THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) announced it has allocated P300 million to provide cash aid to overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who were displaced from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
OWWA Administrator Hans J. Cacdac said via Viber that the amount will be used for the implementation of a financial relief assistance package, or “FRAP,” which will give a one-time P10,000 cash assistance to qualified OFWs.
To qualify for the program, the OFW must be among those who were repatriated from January 2016 to December 2019 due to the “economic downturn” KSA.
The former OFWs should have already stayed in the country after being repatriated and have pending money claims from the Saudi court.
Relatives of the qualified OFWs, who already died, may also apply for the FRAP.
Applicants must accomplish a an online application form, which could be accessed at https://frap.owwa.gov.ph//
They must also submit a picture of their passport containing the personal details and the page containing the date of their repatriation from 2016 to 2019 as well as proof of their pending money claims from the Saudi court if they are not listed in OWWA’s registry.
Those qualified and with complete documentary requirements will get a SMS from the OWWA Regional Office on the date when they could claim their FRAP benefits check.
Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III earlier said the OWWA Board of Trustees, which he chairs, decided to grant the FRAP due to the concerned OFWs due to the long delay in the release of their claims, some of which has been pending since 2016.
At least 9,000 OFWs were repatriated after the said year after they were displaced in KSA.
As of Sunday, Bello told the BusinessMirror the matter is still yet to be resolved.