ILOILO City — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Western Visayas has activated a region-wide support system to cushion the impact of the escalating Middle East crisis on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), prioritizing job placement, cash-for-work aid, and livelihood programs for returning workers and their families.
The intervention comes as authorities brace for more repatriations and disrupted deployments, prompting DOLE to intensify coordination with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to ensure immediate and sustained assistance.
Assistant Regional Director Melisa Navarra of DOLE Region 6 underscored the agency’s role in helping reintegrate returning workers into the local economy.
“As far as OFWs are concerned, it is the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), but our department is closely coordinating with DMW for additional assistance like mag abot na sila kag mag-settle, mga employment facilitation, may referral nga himuon ang DOLE together with our Public Employment Service Office (PESO) from the local government units (LGUs) during siguro mga job fairs, ma-identify job vacancies. They may be able to avail themselves these, especially those who would settle na and be integrated in the community,” Navarra stressed.
Navarra said DOLE will ramp up employment facilitation by organizing job fairs with LGUs through PESOs.
“We aim to ensure that these individuals have avenues for employment as they transition back to local life,” Navarra added.
Beyond employment matching, DOLE is also preparing livelihood programs designed to provide skills training and alternative income sources for displaced workers.
Dr. Arlyn Siatong, head of the DOLE Iloilo Field Office, said families of OFWs are being prioritized in government assistance programs, particularly under TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers).
“In addition sa DOLE, looking into the concern, of kon sin-o man ang affected naton, diba una gid ya ang OFW naton, like in Iloilo Province, we have provided, we have given a reminder or instruction to our LGU partners to give priority to families of OFWs sa TUPAD namon nga program, and this coming..by the end of March, those families who were employed during TUPAD will be receiving their salaries na for 10 days na TUPAD to express sang pasalamat sa ila,” said Siatong.
“As for DOLE, we wanted our OFWs should feel nga gina tan-aw naton sila, that’s why we extended our TUPAD program to their families,” Siatong added.
DOLE-6 Regional Director Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez, Jr. said millions of pesos have already been released to support affected families through LGU PESO networks.
“We have distributed millions of pesos to support affected families through the PESO Managers of LGUs, ensuring that immediate relief is provided where it is most needed,” Rodriguez affirmed./PN
