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Senators urge govt to provide safety nets for OFWs


At least three senators called on the government on Wednesday to provide safety nets for the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who might be affected by the political tension overseas. Senator Loren Legarda, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, said the government must guarantee the safety of Filipinos by making sure that a "definite plan of action" is in place and ready for execution any time. Legarda explained that she was concerned that state agencies are not responding to the situation in a more "proactive manner," with most of them just awaiting instructions from the Department of Foreign Affairs. "Our government cannot afford to have a wait-and-see attitude. We need to be able to evacuate our countrymen from areas where there is clear and present danger. The DFA should be prepared to bring our citizens home any time," Legarda said in a statement issued Wednesday. Job programs In a separate statement, Senator Manuel Villar said the government must also be ready with job programs to "assimilate" OFWs who may be forced to go home because of the dangers in their host country, particularly in the Middle East. He said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority can help provide skill training programs for out-of-the-job OFWs. He likewise said that the government must be prepared for the effects of the latest deployment freeze to Bahrain, Yemen, and Libya. Villar said the Middle East is home to millions of OFWs including 31,000 in Bahrain; 1,500 in Yemen; 26,000 to 30,000 in Libya; and around 1,000 in Iran. Last year, OFWs brought in $18.76 billion in remittances. "Unless the unrest simmers down soon, the government may have to look for another economic booster other than the dollars sent by OFWs," he said. On Monday, the Philippine government advised its citizens against traveling to Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, where violent protest actions aimed at ousting their respective leaders are raging. Row with Taiwan Meanwhile, Senator Francis Escudero said the government must also address the deportation issue with Taiwan, which could affect about 100,00 Filipino workers there. Following Taipei's protest over their nationals' deportation to China, Taiwan decided to extend the visa processing for Filipino workers, which could delay the deployment of almost 5,000 Taiwan-bound OFWs. "We must address the issue because I worry for our workers who are already there as well as the lost opportunity to our people who already incurred expenses and were expecting employment already in Taiwan," Escudero said. Escudero likewise asked the Department of Justice, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Immigration to submit a comprehensive report on the events and proceedings surrounding the deportation of 14 Taiwanese nationals last February 2. "I am hopeful that we can still exhaust all means available to repair our cultural and economic ties with Taiwan as this affect the lives of many Filipino families," he said. Earlier in the day, Vice President Jejomar Binay said that he will be flying to the Middle East on Friday for labor negotiations and to check on the situation of OFWs in some countries being racked by violent protests.— RSJ, GMA News

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