Proposed creation of OFW department gets Senate’s final nod

The Senate building at the GSIS Complex in Pasay City. (Photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill proposing the creation of a separate department for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Voting 20-0, senators approved Senate Bill No. Senate Bill No. 2234 or the proposed Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act.

During the period of amendments on the floor, the name of the department was changed into the Department of Migrant Workers.

This amendment was proposed by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon in order to limit the new department’s jurisdiction to overseas employment and labor migration with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) continuing in its authority over other Filipinos abroad.

In a speech after the Senate’s plenary vote, Senator Joel Villanueva, sponsor of the bill as chairman of the Senate labor committee, said the proposed department seeks to be a “dedicated service arm” for 10 million Filipinos overseas, who account for 10 percent of the population and 12 percent of national income.

“This moment is for every Filipino abroad who has sacrificed so much for their family and our beloved country,” he said.

“The more than a century of Filipino diaspora shaped and led us to this very moment, which is a chance to change for the better the way our OFWs, our modern-day heroes, are recruited, repatriated, and reintegrated,” he added.

Under the bill, the proposed department will orchestrate all efforts and policies for the protection of OFWs.

The functions and mandate of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) will be absorbed by the proposed department, according to the bill.

Aside from the POEA, six other offices will be consolidated and merged as the Department of Migrant Workers if the bill is enacted into law.

These agencies include:

• Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) currently under the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
• All Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) currently under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
• International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) currently under the DOLE
• National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) currently under the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
• National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) is currently under the DOLE
• International Social Services Office (ISSO) currently under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
• The OWWA will be an attached agency of the new department

Meanwhile, Villanueva allayed fears that the transfer of agencies to a new department amounts to a mere “lipat-bahay. He said that the role of each office, based on its strengths, is well clarified under the measure.

He also maintained that the department would still help ensure the state policy of not promoting the employment of Filipinos overseas.

“Naniniwala po tayo na balang-araw—at hindi po tayo mawawalan ng pag-asa—na darating ang panahong hindi na kailangang mag-abroad ng Pilipino at mawalay sa kanyang pamilya para lang mabuhay,” Villanueva said.

(We believe that one day—and we are not losing hope—that there will come a time that Filipinos will no longer need to go abroad and be away from their families just to earn a living.)

“We are in unison that it is not the policy of the state to promote overseas employment and it is our common aspiration that Filipinos will migrate or work abroad only out of choice, and not out of necessity,” he said.

For his part, Drilon, who actively participated in the plenary debates on the bill, said he conducted extensive research on the matter to ensure the intended purpose of the law will be achieved.

“We did conduct a very extensive research on this, because we wanted to make sure that the purpose of the law of providing better service to our overseas Filipino workers would indeed be achieved by this piece of legislation,” said Drilon, who was a former labor secretary.

“We recognize the necessity of addressing the needs of our overseas Filipino workers, who have complained about the lack of services or uncoordinated services,” he added.

The passage of the bill was certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte last May.

The creation of a department dedicated to OFWs was among Duterte’s campaign promises during the 2016 presidential race.

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JPV