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OFW nominations to POEA, OWWA boards now open


The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) have opened the nominations for representatives of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to their respective boards. In a release, the POEA and the OWWA said they have signed a joint memorandum circular opening the nominations for OFW representatives, in compliance with Republic Act (RA) 10022, an amendatory law to RA 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. RA 10022 added three slots each to the POEA governing board and the OWWA board of trustees, to be filled by OFW representatives from the land-based, sea-based and women sectors. Representatives for each sector may be nominated only by non-government organizations (NGOs) “which adhere to the protection and promotion of the welfare of overseas Filipino workers," the POEA and the OWWA said. Nominating NGOs must be registered with the appropriate government agency, and should be of “good standing" as certified by the government agency with which they are registered. The NGOs must represent the women, land-based and sea-based sectors, and must have been in existence for at least three years prior to the submission of the nomination. On the other hand, the nominee must be at least 25 years old at the time of nomination, able to read and write, and a migrant worker at the time of nomination or with at least three years experience as a migrant worker. RA 10022 requires the POEA and the OWWA to conduct massive information campaigns on the selection of the nominees, as well as consultative sessions for the certified leaders or representatives of the concerned sectors prior to the selection of three nominees. The final list of the nominees, which contains three names for each sector to be represented will then be submitted to the President and published in a newspaper of general circulation. The President will then select and appoint representatives to the POEA and the OWWA governing boards 30 days after the submission of the list. These members will have a term of three years, and will be eligible for reappointment for another three years. OWWA board of trustees The OWWA board of trustees has 12 members, with Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz acting as the chair and OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon the vice chair. Its members include undersecretaries from the departments of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Labor and Employment, as well as the POEA administrator, a Budget Department representative, and representatives from labor, management, sea-based, land-based and women’s sectors. Among the OWWA board’s functions is the management of its financial transactions. OWWA currently collects a membership fee of $25 (P1,109) from land-based and sea-based workers, paid every other year while the OFW is employed. The fees make up the OWWA Fund. In 2009, the OWWA collected P1.5 billion in membership fees that brought the aggregate amount to P12.5 billion according to Dimzon. The OWWA fund is supposed to be used for programs for OFWs and their families such as education, training, scholarships, health and livelihood; disability and death benefits; and for repatriation in times of crisis. In recent years, the OWWA has come under fire for a number of questionable transactions involving the use of the money, including the transfer of P530.38 million of Medicare Fund for OFWs to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). The fund was allegedly used to boost the re-election bid of then President and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who gave away Philhealth cards to residents of places she visited during the 2004 presidential campaign. Some $87,700 (P3.9 million) was likewise diverted to the International Labor Affairs Service of the DOLE, again allegedly to support Arroyo’s campaign. POEA governing board The POEA governing board has six members. The Labor secretary likewise chairs the board with the POEA administrator as vice chair. Its members are representatives from the private, land-based, sea-based and women’s sectors. The POEA is in charge of regulating recruitment agencies and educating OFWs through pre-departure orientation seminars on their rights and the customs and traditions in their destination countries. Like the OWWA, however, the POEA has also come under severe criticism, with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV urging the Senate to probe supposed collusions between some POEA officials and recruitment agencies in alleged human trafficking. — MRT/VS/GMANews.TV

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