BY DANIE MAE FAJARDO-DELA CRUZ
MANILA – The second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. reflected not just a government in action but a country on a shared journey towards a much brighter future for all, including our migrant workers, according to Secretary Susan Ople of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
“We at the DMW will do what needs to be done so that walang maiiwan sa ating sama-samang paghubog sa Bagong Pilipinas,” added Ople.
In his SONA, the President said the government is addressing the problem of unpaid salaries and other related claims of some 14,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been put out of work in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic.
Indeed, according to Ople, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman committed his government’s settlement of claims owed to Filipino construction workers dating back to 2015 and 2016.
“Based on our talks with the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development (MHRSD), the resolution of claims is just a matter of time. We need to defer to and respect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s own internal processes in handling such claims,” she added.
Also in his SONA, the President assured the continued employment of some 50,000 workers and the deployment of many more Filipino seafarers aboard European Union vessels.
However, he said, the Filipino seafarer’s education and skills must always be attuned to the high, exacting and constantly evolving global standards.
For her part, Ople said, “It took 17 years for the Philippines to attain significant progress in terms of international maritime education and skills certification standards.”
“We will work closely with the Department of Transportation, Commission on Higher Education, Maritime Industry Authority and other relevant agencies to build momentum and transformational changes to expand opportunities for the global Filipino seafarer,” stressed Ople.
She also announced that the OFW Pass is now being pilot-tested in 10 countries.
“We are closely monitoring the feedback from our OFWs because an app that is new will always have its set of challenges. This is why we still have the standard Overseas Employment Certificate until the transition from analog to digital has gained traction,” Ople said.
As for bilateral labor diplomacy, Ople said the DMW is inspired by the President’s appreciation of our good relations with other countries on the labor migration governance front.
“We will continue on this collaborative path with external stakeholders especially countries who truly appreciate the excellence of our workers,” said Ople./PN
