Hontiveros wants probe on gov't reintegration plan for 300k returning OFWs amid pandemic

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday said the government's plans and programs for the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic should be investigated in aid of legislation.

In filing Senate Resolution No. 445, the senator pointed out that the Department of the Interior and Local Government recently estimated that around 300,000 OFWs are expected to return to the country until the end of the year.

"It is essential that the government’s return and reintegration programs take the needs of OFWs and their families into account in developing and implementing financial aid programs for households in distress, mental health and psycho-social services, and medical assistance in relation to COVID-19, including mandatory testing," Hontiveros said.

She underscored that the government should have a long-term plan for this sector.

"Hindi lang ang mas mabilis na testing at mas maayos na byahe pauwi ang dapat siguraduhin ng pamahalaan para sa ating OFWs. Dapat may long-term assistance din sa kanilang kabuhayan at kalusugan ngayong marami ang matagal pa o hindi na makakabalik sa kanilang trabaho abroad," she said.

Over 50,000 migrant workers have already been repatriated amid the global health crisis, according to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on women, also filed Resolution No. 446 which seeks a Senate probe on the "gendered dimensions" of the government response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Citing a 2018 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, she said 55.8% of Filipinos deployed overseas are women.

Hence, the interventions for the returning OFWs amid the pandemic should be carefully crafted with a clear gender lens to meet the specific needs of women too, she said.

The senator stressed that based on a study, the majority of migrant Filipino women do not have substantial savings despite years of hard work abroad.

"While the full breadth of the crisis and its differential effects on the basis of gender still need to be fully studied and analyzed, it is necessary and urgent to begin conversations on how to craft gender-specific interventions that will address the multiple dimensions of this crisis," she added.

The rising number of cases of violence against women must also be addressed by the government amid the pandemic, according to Hontiveros.

Close to 3,700 cases of violence against women and children have been recorded by the Philippine National Police since the implementation of community quarantine in March.—AOL, GMA News