Tulfo calls for Senate probe on PHL-Kuwait agreement, worker contract 

A SENATOR has filed a resolution seeking to investigate, in aid of legislation, the existing Philippine-Kuwait bilateral labor agreement and standard employment contract, citing the deaths of close to 200 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle Eastern country since 2016.   Senator Rafael “Raffy” T. Tulfo, under Senate Resolution 448, noted the need to establish […]

DMW to provide training, aid for human trafficking victims

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter THE DEPARTMENT of Migrant Workers (DMW) plans to provide livelihood and retraining programs for jobseekers who fell victim to human trafficking schemes, an official said. “We are working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the office of Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel for possible retooling programs […]

DMW warns vs scammers in processing claims of unpaid OFWs in Saudi Arabia 

THE DEPARTMENT of Migrant Workers (DMW) issued a warning on Monday against individuals pretending to be middlemen in the compensation process for unpaid salaries of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia.   DMW Secretary Maria Susan V. Ople said they have also received reports of people impersonating department officers who contacted OFWs online about the […]

DMW to streamline hiring process for seafarers, OFWs

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will trim the requirements for the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and address the shortcomings on seafarer education and training, said DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” V. Ople.   “DMW’s mission is to be OFW-centric, putting the worker in the center of the universe of all our operations, services, and […]

Rehired, directly hired OFWs exempt from compulsory insurance coverage 

THE PHILIPPINE Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) has suspended the implementation of a department order that required rehired and directly hired overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to pay compulsory insurance coverage.   “The suspension will save our returning OFWs and those directly hired by foreign employees at least P1,700 worth of mandatory insurance coverage while reducing the requirements […]

Solon urges DFA to extend passport validity of overseas workers by 2 years

A HOUSE lawmaker is pushing for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to extend the validity of passports of Filipinos working abroad to facilitate their immediate deployment amid continuing delays in the release of new passports. MARINO Party-list Representatives Sandro L. Gonzales and Macnell M. Lusotan filed House Resolution 2367 calling on the department to […]

Cebuano doctors back IATF arrival policies

A GROUP of Cebuano doctors has expressed full support for the Inter-Agency Task Force’s (IATF) policy for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) mandating a 10-day facility-based quarantine followed by four-day home quarantine and swabbing on the seventh day from arrival. On the other hand, seafarers’ groups have appealed to the IATF […]

Espinoza: Who to follow?

Tug-of-war is a popular parlor game in a big family or group in an outdoor setting. Two groups hold one end of the rope and the mighty and more powerful group who can pull the group to their side wins. The situation now between the Provine of Cebu and the IATF is like a tug-of-war […]

Cebu’s swab-upon-arrival policy gains more support

FIVE senators and a partylist representative have expressed support for Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s swab-upon-arrival policy for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs). In a statement, Sen. Joel Villanueva described Cebu’s policy as “a sensible, but science-based” way of screening travelers for coronavirus and “low-cost but highly effective.” “It is a kind […]

Gwen’s policy on int’l arrivals backed by 8 Cebu lawmakers

EIGHT lawmakers of Cebu Province signed a manifesto of support for the Provincial Government’s swab-upon-arrival policy and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s stand on exercising local autonomy. They also urged the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases “to respect the rule of law, respect the Philippine Constitution and respect the local autonomy […]

DOLE suspends OFW deployment to Saudi Arabia

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has temporarily suspended the deployment overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Saudi Arabia after reports that outbound OFWs were obliged to pay for their own coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tests and other health safety measures. Based on a memorandum addressed to Labor Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia dated May 27 […]

‘Quarantine hotel frontliners’ jabbed, as PBB offers free swab tests to OFWs

AROUND a hundred hotel frontliners in quarantine and isolation hotels have been vaccinated against Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) said on Saturday, April 3, 2021. HRRAC president Alfred Reyes told SunStar Cebu that the vaccination started in the last week of March […]