P1.2-B fund for OFWs no longer enough – Recto

Sen. Ralph Recto. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The P1.2-billion fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may not be enough for the increasing number of Filipinos working abroad, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said Monday.

“If the marching order is to help each and every OFW in need, then the DFA’s P1 billion Assistance to Nationals (ATN) fund and the P200 million for legal assistance for 2018 – despite jumping 1 ½ times from last year – will not be sufficient,” Recto said in a statement.

“As the DFA throws more lifelines to OFWs in distress, we should also provide additional financial resources to the agency,” he added.

The Senate President Pro-Tempore also said that funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office could be used for medical assistance to OFWs.

“Nothing in the law prohibits its ‘cross-border’ disbursement for as long as the beneficiaries are Filipino citizens. The long arm of compassion must reach those in distant shores,” Recto said.

“Ganito ‘yung mga ‘ATN extenders’ na hinahanap natin, which OFWs deserve, considering that they sent P1.41 trillion in the first 11 months of 2017,” he added.

Recto said the P1.2 budget for the OFWs was only 0.09 percent of the contributions given by OFWs.

He said the government should find other sources as early as January given the high number of overseas workers who seek help.

“Kung nagbibigay na tayo ng libreng college tuition (P40 billion), PhilHealth coverage at social pension sa senior citizens (P34 billion), ano ba naman ang dagdag na tulong sa mga OFWs?” he said. /cbb