Subsidy sought for displaced workers abroad

MANILA, Philippines - Subsidies for displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amounting to P20,000 each are being sought by a labor group. Labor group Partido ng Manggagawa said that each displaced OFW must be provided with subsidies for two months by the government while they are searching for new jobs or seeking retraining. "The OFWs will be the first ones hit, so what we want is that they are provided with unemployment subsidies while they are looking for jobs," said Partido ng Manggagawa chairman Renato B. Magtubo in a telephone interview. The group said that OFWs would be seeking retraining to be able to get jobs in the health and education sectors, which are expected to be fairly unaffected by the spreading economic slump. Labor and Employment Sec. Marianito D. Roque said in a separate interview that the department is open to the idea of subsidies, but on one condition. "Subsidies would be good if they were actually retraining for employable jobs like being skilled craftsmen. But if they want to study nursing, then no, because there is already an over-supply of nurses who also need jobs." The department estimates around 2,400 OFWs have been laid off since October. — Emilia Narni J. David, BusinessWorld