House OKs bill expanding OFW use of legal aid funds

The House of Representatives has unanimously approved a bill expanding the use of the Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) and Aksyon fund by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

LAF is under the Department of Foreign Affairs while Aksyon fund is managed by the Department of Migrant Workers.

House Bill No. 9305 was approved on third and final reading with 246 votes on the House floor on Wednesday.

Under the bill, the LAF can now be used to provide legal and consular assistance services to overseas Filipinos, including expenditures on foreign lawyers to be hired by overseas Filipinos facing charges, as well as expenses for the filing of labor and criminal cases against erring or abusive employers and other persons abroad, and bail bonds to secure the temporary releases and other litigation expenses.

Likewise, the bill provides that the LAF should be made available from the time of investigation, detention, arrest, or indictment of overseas Filipinos all the way to the trial proper and at all levels of appeal.

In addition, the bill exempts from the Procurement law the hiring of foreign legal counsels and other releases of funds for other expenses.

Such provisions, the bill states, would also be applicable to the utilization of Aksyon Fund for migrant workers needing legal assistance.

In countries and territories where there are no Migrant Workers Offices yet, the bill states that the DFA has the mandate to extend legal and other forms of assistance to overseas Filipino workers located in said areas.—LDF, GMA Integrated News