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Govt urged to fund local jobs for displaced OFWs from Japan, Middle East


Two party-list lawmakers on Thursday urged government to fund local employment opportunities for displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from quake-hit Japan and conflict-laden countries in the Middle East. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casino said the Philippine government should put more funds and resources to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to provide employment for thousands of OFWs expected to go back to the country from the Middle East and Japan. “We can turn the tragedies in the Middle East and Japan into opportunities to keep our best and brightest workers at home by turning them into entrepreneurs or employing them in MSMEs," he said in a statement issued on Thursday. Casino said it is better to “absorb" the displaced OFWs in local industries rather than redeploying them to other countries. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) earlier said that it expects the local unemployment situation to rise due to the repatriation of OFWs from calamity-hit Japan and conflict-laden countries in the Middle East such as Libya and Bahrain. Japan was hit by an 8.9-magnitude quake and a tsunami last Friday, while tension in Bahrain and Libya continues to rise due to political protests to oust their respective leaders. DIWA party-list Rep. Emmaline Aglipay meanwhile said that while the focus of the government should be the safety of the OFWs in these countries, a “concrete" contingency plan must be laid out for the displaced OFWs. “The best option is for them [the OFWs] to have jobs here in the Philippines kasama ng pamilya nila, but it’s a reality we have to accept that opportunities abroad yield higher compensation from them," she told reporters Thursday. She likewise said that the situations in Japan and Middle East should be a “catalyst" for the government to be prepared for emergency situation involving OFWs. – VVP, GMA News

Tags: japan, libya, congress
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