Nancy Binay hits ‘zero’ budget for OFW legal assistance

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad. INQUIRER FILE

Senator Nancy Binay took to task the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for proposing a “zero” budget next year for a fund that provides legal assistance to distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Binay said the DBM proposed in the 2016 national budget a “zero” budget for the OFW legal assistance fund (LAF), which assists OFWs in getting legal services in the countries they are working in.

“Ganito ba tayo tumanaw sa mga sakripisyo at paghihirap ng ating mga OFW? Zero budget para sa kanilang legal assistance fund samantalang bilyon ang nireremit nila kada taon sa ating ekonomiya?” she said in a statement on Thursday.

(Is that how we really pay for the sacrifices and sufferings of our OFWs. Zero budget for their legal assistance funds when t hey are remitting billions every year to our economy)

The senator pointed that under Republic Act No. 10022 (or the amended Migrant Workers Act), the government should set aside P100 million to aid OFWs in their legal concerns, which the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) handles.

But the fund, she said, has been dwindling since last year.

During budget deliberations last year, Binay said, the DBM proposed only P30 million for the LAF. The senator had pushed to raise the fund to P100 million.

She said President Benigno Aquino III conditionally vetoed the legal assistance fund when he signed the 2015 national budget into law last year, saying that there was no income source to justify the creation of the fund.

Binay then vowed to push for the inclusion of the legal fund into the DFA’s budget next year.

“I will make it a point during the budget deliberations na mabigyan ng LAF ang ating mga OFWs (to provide LAF to our OFWs.) We cannot compromise the lives of these OFWs just because we don’t have the budget to provide them legal assistance,” she said.

“Napaghahalatang manhid ang pamahalaan sa mga hinaing ng mga OFW, isang example na lamang itong zero budget na ayaw nitong tulungan ang mga OFW,” she added.

(It’s obvious that the government is insensitive to the sentiments of the OFWs, this zero budget is just one example that they don’t want to help the OFWs)

Aside from the dwindling budget for the OFW LAF, Binay noted other “anti-OFWs” policies under the Aquino administration like the collection of the P550.00 terminal fee at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which RA 10022 exempts them from paying, and the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) earlier proposal to open balikbayan boxes and tax personal items.

The President immediately stopped the opening of balikbayan boxes after it was met with strong opposition from various sectors. Maila Ager