DFA To Give Cash Aid To OFWs Affected By Typhoon Ompong
14 September 2018 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be extending financial assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) if their scheduled travel to or from the Philippines is affected by super typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut).
In a statement, the DFA confirmed the cash assistance of P5,000.00 to affected overseas workers that was announced by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano during the Command Conference on Typhoon Ompong chaired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday.
“The President has directed the DFA to prioritize the concerns of our overseas workers and in line with this, we are extending cash assistance of P5,000.00 to those who would be stranded in our airports or seaports while on their way to or from destinations abroad,” Secretary Cayetano said.
According to the Secretary, the assistance is similar to what the DFA extended to overseas workers who were affected by the runway closure at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last month.
Secretary Cayetano said the DFA distributed more than P5.5 million in cash assistance to 1,104 overseas workers who were stranded in Manila by the runway accident involving a Xiamen Air 737 at the NAIA.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said the cash assistance will be released by the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs (OMWA) to overseas workers who may miss their travel to destinations abroad or their return to the country as a result of flight delays or cancellations.
Undersecretary Arriola said affected workers would be required to personally submit copies of their travel documents and employment contracts when claiming the cash assistance.
She said claims will be processed at the DFA main office along Roxas Boulevard and all consular offices nationwide starting Monday as well as at the NAIA, the Clark International Airport, the Mactan International Airport, and the Davao International Airport beginning Saturday. END