OFW Global Story

20/06/2022

A road crash Sunday morning in New Zealand claimed the lives of seven people, including members of the Filipino community in Auckland, according to media reports.

Stuff news website said the victims were on their way home when the van they were riding collided with a truck on State Highway 1 between Blenheim and Picton around 7:30 a.m. Sunday (local time).

A Year 11 student survived the crash in Marlborough that killed 7 of his relatives on Sunday, including his brother and mum. https://t.co/WsDu5uHXiH — Stuff () June 20, 2022
The news report identified some of the victims as Paul Brown, his wife Diseree and their son Mark; as well as Diseree’s sister, Divine Dolar, and the latter’s daughter Flordeliza. A baby is also among the fatalities.

The group had just attended a funeral.

A road crash Sunday morning in New Zealand claimed the lives of seven people including members of the Filipino community in Auckland, according to media reports.

04/06/2022

Kumusta naman ang pagmu-muse ng inyong anak sa Pilipinas? 😁

04/06/2022

“Talagang kahanga-hanga kayong mga OFW. Pero umuwi na kayo. Bumalik na po kayo sa Pilipinas,” outgoing DOLE Sec. Silvestre Bello III said durng Migrant Workers’ Day 2022 organized by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) in London, June 1.

According to DOLE’s website, migrant workers can avail of reintegration services, a package of interventions and mechanisms to aid their return to the country upon completion of overseas employment through local employment or re-employment and entrepreneurship.

“Bring back the bacon to the country. Bumalik na po kayo,” Bello reiterated his appeal in a press interview during his London visit.

However, for those who continue to work and seek jobs outside the Philippines, Bello emphasized that the department will continue to promote employment opportunities and protect the welfare of Filipino workers.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/04/22/outgoing-labor-chief-bello-urges-ofws-to-return-to-ph

Sec. Silvestre Bello III encouraged Filipino migrant workers to return home to the Philippines.

04/06/2022

"There's something wrong with the system."

Ito ang nasabi ni incoming Migrant Workers Sec. Susan 'T***s' Ople kung saan nais niyang i-review ang hiring system para malaman ang dahilan kung bakit nahihirapan ang 'good employer' na makakuha ng magaling na OFW, ganun ang OFW na hirap makakuha ng maayos na employer.

Dagdag pa niya, nais niyang maburo ang sistema kasama ang stakeholders partikular ang mga OFW.

Si Ople ay ang napili ni incoming Pres. Bongbong Marcos na mamuno sa newly created na Department of Migrant Workers. Anak siya ni dating Sen. Blas Ople na kinikilalang ama ng labor laws (Philippine Labor Code) sa Pilipinas.

| INQUIRER https://bit.ly/3mfkJAw

04/06/2022

Sinuspende na ng OWWA ang pagbibigay ng libreng repatriation flights, hotel accommodations, at transportation sa mga uuwing OFWs dahil sa pagbaba ng Covid-19 Alert Level sa iba't ibang bahagi ng Pilipinas ayon kay Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Hans Cacdac.

Base aniya ito sa napagkasunduan ng National Inter Agency Task Force at dahil sa bumalik na sa normal ang public transport sa NCR.

Pero maaaring exempted dito ang partially at unvaccinated OFWs na kailangan magtungo sa facility-based quarantine area.

| PHILSTAR https://bit.ly/3Qd3xtl

04/06/2022

Tumulak na ang 60 OFW housekeepers sa bansang Israel. Sila ang first batch para 2,000 housekeepers na kailangan ng nasabing bansa na resulta ng 'government-to-government labor agreement'.

Ito ang ibinalita nina Israeli Ambassador Ian Fluss and Philippine Migrant Workers Secretary Abdullah Mama-o sa isang press event sa the Blas F. Ople Building in Ortigas, Pasig.

Ayon kay Fluss, ito ang unang pagkakataon na direkta silang kumuha ng housekeepers para sa hotel industry sa Israel.

Para naman kay Loven Lopez, isang licensed teacher, magandang oportunidad ito dahil mataas ang sweldo sa Israel na hindi kayang ibigay sa Pilipinas.

“The salary offer in Israel is really high, that can’t be offered here in the Philippines. Let’s face it. The salary range can’t be matched here,” ani Loven.

| Business Mirror https://bit.ly/39binQ5

04/06/2022

Cash remittances sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) grew by 3.2 percent year-on-year last March to USD2.594 billion, and an economist forecast continued growth in inflows as more economies reopen.

Data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday showed that cash remittances in the first quarter this year grew by 2.4 percent year-on-year to USD7.77 billion.

In a report, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort said remittances remain a bright spot for the domestic economy even if volume has gone down compared to the record-high monthly inflow of USD2.987 billion in December 2021.

Philippine News Agency | https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174601

04/06/2022

PRRD kept his promise to make OFW lives better: Bello

Para kay DOLE Sec. Silvestre Bello III, natupad ni Pres. Duterte ang kanyang mga pangako sa OFWs base na rin sa mga 'accomplishments' sa nagdaang anim na taon tulad ng mga sumusunod:

▪️ It has served over 140,000 OFWs who were provided with legal assistance and it resulted in the conviction of 40 illegal recruiters.

▪️ The DOLE has signed 26 International Labor Agreements with different countries in the area of labor, employment as well as migration including Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. These are Canada, Japan, China, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Taiwan, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Lebanon, Libya, among others.

▪️ Through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department provided services and interventions through our enhanced Reintegration Program wherein more than 140,000 OFWs were given livelihood assistance and more than 150,000 OFWs were provided with training.

▪️ Education and Development Scholarship Program was given to more than 250,000 qualified dependents of the OFWs

▪️ More than 340,000 OFW families who were victims of typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the Marawi siege have benefited from the calamity assistance program.

▪️ Some 1.028 million OFWs were repatriated in April 2022. They were given accommodations, food, and other welfare and medical assistance.

▪️ Gave them opportunities to start over, more than 500,000 affected OFWs were given PHP10,000 financial assistance or USD200 for those who opted to stay abroad under the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong sa OFWs (AKAP).

▪️ The DOLE, together with the OWWA and CHED Uni-FAST, also provides Tertiary Education Subsidy amounting to PHP30,000 to more than 30,000 OFW dependents under the Tabang OFW Program.

▪️ The DOLE also established the Overseas Filipino (OF) Bank which was tailor-made for the financial needs of OFWs. Almost 40,000 bank accounts had already been opened under this bank.

▪️ In coordination with the National Housing Authority (NHA), it has implemented a socialized and low-cost housing program for OFWs to provide an affordable and decent community for workers’ families.

“We also established the OFW Hospital that will provide the best quality medical care and health services to OFWs and their qualified dependents for free. As of today, it operates as a Polyclinic with service capability transitioning to an infirmary and eventually 102-beds level 2 hospital in the coming months,” Bello said.

04/06/2022

Balut Na Pinabili Sa 'Pinas, Sisiw Na Pagdating Ng Kuwait

Tatlong taon nang hindi nakakatikim ng balut ang OFW na si Gio Miranda kaya nagpabili siya sa kasamahang umuwi. Bili niya na yung hindi pa luto ang bilihin para hindi mag-iba ang lasa. Pero napisa na ito at lumabas na ang sisiw pagdating sa kaniya noong May 27, 2022.

"Nagpasuyo ako sa kanya, sabi ko yung fresh na balot. Hindi pa nilaga para hindi mag-iba yung lasa," ani Gio.

Aniya, masiglang-masigla ang sisiw at ginawan pa niya ng Youtube channel dahil maraming netizens ang gustong makita ang updates sa buhay ng bibe. (Video courtesy: Gio Miranda) | Ulat ni Hernel Tocmo