(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will get expanded insurance coverage amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Sunday.
“The pandemic has left our migrant workers vulnerable to various risks and perils. By expanding the compulsory insurance coverage, we aim to extend the protection to all OFWs, at no cost to our workers,” DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement.
The expanded insurance policy guarantees coverage in case of death, disability, repatriation, medical emergency, and litigation.
In case of accidental death, at least $15,000 will be provided as survivor’s benefit while at least $10,000 will be given in case of natural death.
The insurance provider will also arrange and pay for the repatriation or worker’s remains.
For disability benefits, at least $7,500 will be provided.
Also covered under the policy is repatriation, when employment is terminated by the employer without valid cause or ended by the employee with just cause.
Migrant workers who will be involved in a case or litigation and money claims will be eligible for a subsistence allowance benefit of at least $100 per month for up to six months.
Likewise covered are medical evacuation, medical repatriation, and compassionate visit by a family member, should the migrant worker be hospitalized and confined for at least seven consecutive days.
Manning and recruiting agencies will secure the insurance coverage while the expense for the coverage shall be shouldered by foreign employers or workers themselves “subject to a full refund upon the first day of the latter’s arrival at the worksite or country of destination.”
“Only reputable private insurance companies duly registered and currently accredited with the Insurance Commission are qualified to provide the insurance coverage,” DOLE said.
“The guidelines on the expanded compulsory insurance coverage shall be observed during the period of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 and shall remain in force until the full completion of the national government’s vaccination program,” the labor department added.