PH to Continue Working for Well-Being of OFWs in UAE, Other Countries
10 June 2018 MANILA — Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano today said the Philippines will continue to work with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries hosting migrant workers to ensure the well-being of Filipino workers.
“We will continue to work with the UAE and our other partners in the Middle East and other parts of the globe to promote the well-being of our kababayan,” Secretary Cayetano said at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday.
The Secretary made the statement after he and other officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration welcomed home 96 Filipina workers who arrived from Abu Dhabi this morning.
Secretary Cayetano expressed his appreciation to UAE authorities for their assistance in fasttracking the exit clearances of the workers, who were mostly victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment.
“The President’s marching order for us in DFA is to always fight for the rights and welfare of you our overseas workers. Our approach may differ from country to country but you can be assured that we will get the job done,” Secretary Cayetano said.
The Secretary also assured the repatriates, who were accompanied by Ambassador Constancio Vingno Jr., of government assistance, particularly in availing themselves of livelihood programs.
According to Ambassador Vingno, the latest batch of workers brings to 612 the number of distressed Filipinos that the DFA has flown home since January.
In addition to shouldering the airfare to their respective provinces, the DFA also provided the repatriated workers with P5,000.00 in financial assistance.
Ambassador Vingno, who has ended his tour of duty in Abu Dhabi, acknowledged the cooperation of UAE authorities in addressing issues affecting the more than 600,000 Filipinos working there.
Ambassador Vingno said the signing of the Law for Domestic Workers and the Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation with the Philippines, are expected to further improve the working condition of Filipino domestic workers there.
He also cited the positive streps undertaken by the UAE government to ensure and enhance the rights of Filipino and other household service workers such as the transfer of jurisdiction from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization that grants them rights on dispute resolution.
He also mentioned the opening of Tabdeer Centers that will conduct recruitment of expatriate workers to ensure that they would know their rights under UAE law. END
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano welcomes home 96 Overseas Filipino Workers repatriated by the Department of Foreign Affairs from the United Arab Emirates, at Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.
Joining the Secretary are Philippine Ambassador to UAE Constancio R. Vingno Jr., Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto C. Abella, and OWWA Deputy Administrator Brigido J. Dulay.