Inihayag ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) ang malaking pagbaba ng koleksiyon at kita ng ahensiya dahil sa naging epekto ng COVID-19 pandemic sa mga overseas Filipino worker sa iba't ibang bahagi ng mundo. Sa kabila nito, may nakalaan pa umano silang dagdag na ayuda sa mga nag-uuwing migranteng manggagawa.
"Our income and collections have dropped by as much as 46% and although our investment showed good signs in the first quarter, we're expecting the worst for the second quarter," saad ni OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac nitong Biyernes sa pagdinig ng Senate finance and economic affairs committees.
Ang trust fund ay nasa P18.8 bilyon mula sa P19.6 bilyon sa pagsisimula ng taon, ayon pa sa opisyal.
"So far, we have been spending P738 million for food, accommodation, transport, and other expenses. About P584 million of those, we have tapped into the OWWA trust fund," ayon kay Cacdac.
"With the GAA, we have a P153 million emergency repatriation fund—we exhausted that 100%... Now the word sustainability starts to creep into the picture," patuloy niya.
Ayon kay Senador Sonny Angara, pinuno ng Senate committee on finance, na nagagamit sa layunin ang trust fund ngayong panahon ng pandemic.
"I think you've been saving up for a rainy day when the OFWs would need it. Ito na po 'yung rainy day na kailangang kailangan na nila," sabi ng senador.
Ayon kay Cacdac, maglalatag din ang OWWA ng karagdagang livelihood benefits sa mga umuwing OFWs—P20,000 sa active members at P10,000 sa inactive.
"We will start this program. We're just letting the OFWs settle down in their respective provinces and by next week we will start this program... This is money straight into the hands of OFWs and we're willing to spend them," pahayag ng opisyal.
Tinatayang 40,000 OFWs pa ang inaasahang darating sa bansa dahil sa problemang idinulot sa mundo ng COVID-19.
"They will be coming over a series of arrivals in a period of a month or so," ayon kay Cacdac. — FRJ, GMA News
