Gov't helps repatriated OFWs find jobs amid Middle East tensions

Several government agencies are working together to help overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned to the country due to unrest in the Middle East find employment opportunities.

According to JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras Weekend," caregiver Jesselyn Folloso, who previously worked in Israel, is among those who have returned home but is now looking to work abroad again following the regional tensions.

She said the wages offered in local job opportunities are not enough to support her family.

“Eh wala, hindi talaga kaya ng minimum lang eh. Oo, pati pagkain, siyempre, mga bayarin—kuryente, tubig—at siyempre may mga anak ka pang pakakainin. Ang mahal ng bilihin,” she said.

(It’s not enough for a minimum wage. There’s food, bills like electricity and water, and I still have children to feed. Prices are high.)

More than 160 OFWs from Kuwait have recently returned to the country, bringing the total number of repatriated workers from the Middle East to over 8,000.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is assisting returning workers in finding jobs locally. However, based on an OWWA survey, when asked if they are still willing to work abroad—not limited to the Middle East—more than 70% said yes.

This suggests that many still view overseas employment as offering better opportunities.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it is assessing the skills of returning OFWs from the Middle East to match them with job orders in other countries.

“It continuously is a challenge for us to be able to provide better opportunities here in the Philippines. At in practical terms, ang sinasabi ng mga kababayan natin na siguro kung mas maganda yung sitwasyon abroad at mas mapayapa, they are open,” said OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan.

(It continues to be a challenge for us to provide better opportunities here in the Philippines. In practical terms, our fellow Filipinos are saying that if conditions abroad are better and more peaceful, they are open to working there.)

Meanwhile, the OWWA and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) have signed an agreement expanding scholarship programs for the children of OFWs in college. The coverage has also been extended to include OFWs themselves.

The DMW and OWWA are also monitoring more than 3,000 Filipino seafarers aboard vessels still inside the Persian Gulf and unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said more than 1,300 Filipino seafarers have already safely exited the area.

“Minamanmanan natin doon yung sitwasyon ng pagtawid ng mga tripulante natin. Meron tayong inaantabayanan na at least makakatawid. Hopefully, makatawid sila.”

(We are closely monitoring the situation of our crew as they cross. We are expecting that at least some will be able to pass. Hopefully they make it through.) —MCG, GMA News