Press Release
May 25, 2021

CHARTING THE FUTURE OF THE GLOBAL FILIPINO
Senator Joel Villanueva Chairman,
Senate Committee on Labor

"By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established."
(Proverbs 24:3)

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues:

It is an honor to be given this privilege to sponsor a bill that has become a center of the nation's attention over the past couple of months, a piece of legislation that will chart the future of the global Filipino.

After five hearings, marathon hearings, of the Committee on Labor jointly with the Committees on Civil Service, Foreign Relations and Finance, two global OFW consultations, three long Technical Working Group meetings, and our Committees' all members meeting yesterday morning, we are ready to report to this august chamber Senate Bill No. 2234 or the "Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act" (DMWOFA) under Committee Report No. 264.

Mr. President, we renamed the Department from DoFil to Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos to highlight the concerns of OFWs more. This title will also be consistent with the earlier law which is the "Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act."

Isang bahay, Ginoong Pangulo, na magsisilbing "tahanan" ng ating mga bagong bayani ang itinatayo natin ngayon. Isang bahay na pinag-ipunan ng deka-dekadang taon ng pagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa ng ating mga kababayan. Isang bahay para sa ating mga migrant worker at overseas Filipino.

Sa kasalukuyan, hiwa-hiwalay po ang mga opisina at ahensyang nagbibigay ng mga serbisyo sa ating mga OFWs at OFs. Nakikisilong o nakikitira lamang ang mga opisinang tumututok sa ating mga OFWs at OFs sa iba't ibang ahensya ng gobyerno. Walang iisang masusulingan sa panahon ng pangangailangan at hindi naging seamless ang pagkatagni-tagni ng mga trabaho para sa mabilis at agarang serbisyo sa kabila ng pagkakaroon ng 2015 Joint Manual of Operations in Providing Assistance to Migrant Workers and Other Filipinos Overseas. Ang POEA, OWWA ay mga attached agencies ng DOLE. Nasa ilalim naman ng OWWA ang National Reintegration Center for OFWs.

DOLE rin ang namamahala sa lahat ng Philippine Overseas Labor Offices o POLO, International Labor Affairs Bureau o ILAB, at maging ang National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP). Samantala, nasa ilalim ng DFA ang Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs o OUMWA na in-charge sa legal representation at repatriation ng mga OFWs. Nasa isa pang ahensya, sa DSWD, ang International Social Services Office (ISSO) para sa mga Pilipinong biktima ng human trafficking, overstaying, tinamaan ng kalamidad at mga batang inabandona.

Ang Commission on Filipino Overseas o CFO na nangangasiwa sa mga permanent residents, mga Pilipino na naging mga naturalized citizen abroad, Pilipinong fiancé o asawa ng mga banyaga, trainees at interns, at iba pa, ay nasa ilalim naman ng Office of the President.

Ngayon, sa pamamagitan ng Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos, pag-uugnay-ugnayin ang mga ahensya at opisinang ito at ilalagay sa iisang bahay at iisang bubong, maliban po sa OWWA na magiging attached agency ng Kagawaran.

It's not intentional that these offices and agencies are dispersed across departments, Mr. President. Dala marahil sa hindi kailanman naging polisiya ng ating bansa ang pagpapalabas ng kanyang mga manggagawa upang mapalago ang ating ekonomiya. This is also a result of long experience with migration that has created policies, processess and institutions that were expected to flourish under a collaborative governance regime.

But collaborative governance as the approach to managing migration for work has drawbacks as shown by the many problems on deployment, on-site assistance, repatriation and reintegration, Mr. President. Despite the laws that we passed, particularly, Republic Act 10022 or the Amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act , coordination and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against illegal recruitment, provision of free legal assistance, reintegration of OFWs and shared government Information System remain a challenge in practice.

Mr. President by putting these eight agencies and offices under one roof and under one head, with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration as the new department, does not mean a shift to embracing labor export as a policy but plainly a shift to improve collaborative governance away from the seemingly "ad-hoc" character of services it creates, by having one focal agency accountable and responsible to orchestrate and definitively address the gaps on our treatment of our OFWs and OFs.

Why do we need to build this house for migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos now?

Mr. President, esteemed colleagues:

Filipinos have become one of the largest diaspora communities in the world. Scattered in every known biome on earth are more than ten million Filipinos; OFWs and their families, tourists, pilgrims, students, trainees, and religious missionaries. According to the 2019 Mid-Year Report of the DFA, there were 10.35 million overseas Filipinos as of June 2019.

Two out of 10 overseas Filipinos are migrant workers. Before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, 6,092 Pinoys leave the country every day to work abroad for greener pastures.

Mr. President, five percent (5%) of all labor migrants globally are Filipinos; we are ranked number 7 worldwide. In-demand po ang Pilipinos abroad.

Ang pagdating ng mga job order sa POEA, walang lockdown. Tuloy-tuloy po ang pasok ng trabaho mula sa iba't ibang panig ng mundo. From day one of Luzon-wide lockdown on March 16, 2020 to May 12, 2021, POEA has received and approved 264,722 job orders from all over the world .

Hindi po kalabisang sabihin na malaking pwersa sa paggulong ng ekonomiya ng mundo ang Pilipino. Marami ang nagsasabing pivotal ang mga Pinoy migrant worker sa success at financial stability ng mga bansang may mataas na konsentrasyon ng mga Pilipino tulad ng Amerika, Saudi, UAE, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, at iba pa .

Hindi rin po makapaglalayag ang marami sa mahigit walumpung libong (80,000) mga barko lulan ang nobenta porsiento (90%) ng kalakal ng buong mundo kung hindi "on board at any one-time" ang apat na raang libong (400,000) mga Pinoy seafarers o halos kalahati ng 1.1 milyong Pilipinong may seamen's book mula sa MARINA .

Because of our land-based and sea-based OFWs, the Philippines have an economic lifeline for decades. Twelve percent of the national income is the monetized sweat of the overseas Filipinos. Their remittances make a significant contribution and shield the economy from instabilities.

Mr. President, even the COVID-19 pandemic did not decrease the volume of remittances from Filipinos overseas, which contracted by only 0.8% in 2020. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed that personal remittances from OFs reached $33.2 billion dollars in 2020, equivalent to 33% of this year's 4.506-trillion pesos national budget .

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues:

Despite their contributions to our economy and the love and respect they get from other countries and nationalities, problems continue to plague our overseas Filipinos, especially OFWs.

While there are metrics for the economic returns of migration, there is none for its social costs. And the sad truth is that OFWs risk their limbs and lives abroad because of a lack of employment opportunities at home.

Let me outline six problem areas where DMWOF will work for remedies.

The first problem area is RECRUITMENT. Hindi na po mabilang ang mga pamilyang pinaghiwalay ng employment contract na pikit-matang nilagdaan ng mga OFWs. Marami sa kanila ay nabibiktima pa ng illegal recruitment at human trafficking.

Mula po 2016 hanggang 2020,limang taon po yan, ang kabuuang kaso laban sa illegal recruitment na na-endorse para sa preliminary investigation ay nasa 295, pero ang convictions po ay dadalawampu't-lima (25) lamang. In the past two years, dalawa lamang ang convicted illegal recruiters.

Alam na alam po ni Sen. Risa ang problema ng illegal recruitment dahil iniimbestigahan po niya sa kanyang komite yoon pong mga problema na ito.

Problema rin ang RED-TAPE. Hanggang ngayon, reklamo pa rin ng ating mga kababayang OFW at mga balikbayan ang mahabang proseso at kumplikadong mga administrative procedure na ipinatutupad ng ating mga ahensya.

Ginagamit ng mga balikbayan ang maikling bakasyon sa pagpapabalik-balik sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno, sa halip na gugulin bilang quality time na kasama ang pamilya ditto sa pIlipinas.

I remember the exact words of Senator Cynthia Villar in one of our hearings: "Kung ang mga Senador nahihirapan kung saang opisina pupunta kung kailangan nila ng tulong, ang mga OFW pa kaya?" as a way to show the problems of having too many offices working for OFW affairs.

REGULATION is another locus of problems. Reklamo pa rin ang kalituhan kung saang ahensya tatakbo ang ating mga OFW. Halimbawa, kapag valid ang contract, sa POEA, at kapag walang contract, sa OWWA. Ang mga Pilipino namang gustong mag-migrate permanently sa ibang bansa o nakapangasawa ng banyaga, sa Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) ang punta.

We have outstanding and reasonable OFW policies, but they have become incoherent due to the prevalence of politicizing power struggles and turf wars among government offices working for OFW affairs. As a result, services, information, and necessary response to OFW concerns are scattered all over the place. Often, OFWs do not know of the service, assistance, rights, and privileges they are entitled.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE is another area of concern. Masaklap po ang sinasapit ng mga kababayan nating nakararanas ng pang-aabuso. Ilan sa kanila ay pinaslang at ginahasa ng kanilang mga employer at malamig na bangkay nang sinasalubong ng kanilang mga kaanak ditto sa NAIA.

In Kuwait alone, at least three Filipina Household Workers died over the last two years; Joanna Demafelis, Constancia Dayag, and Jeanelyn Villavende. Their heinous murder caused pain, regret, and uncertainty to loved ones they left behind.

As of July 2019, there are at least 14,532 Filipinos reportedly languishing in jails abroad. Sixty-eight (68) of them are serving life sentences. Add to them the countless OFWs facing legal, health, psychosocial, and financial quandaries.

Ngunit hindi ganoon kabilis ang kalinga at saklolo. Ang dami nga po nating agencies at mga opisina for OFW affairs, pero wala naman pong koordinasyon. May kanya-kanya pong bakod, at waring meron pang kompetisyon, salungatan, at sigalot.

Halimbawa, ang data ng DFA at POEA sa mga na-repatriate na mga OFWs ay hindi po nagta-tally. Hanggang ngayon ay wala tayong matino at coherent and seamless information management system para sa mga OFWs.

Area of concern din ang REPATRIATION kung saan tila may pagkakanya-kanya at segregation pa nga, dahil kapag documented ang Pinoy, kay DOLE, kapag undocumented, kay DFA, pero hindi po ba pare-pareho naman silang Pilipino.

Kahit po sa paghahanap ng pondo para sa repatriation ay tila sariling sikap ang OWWA. And we admire the courage of OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac for standing firm that the OWWA Trust Fund which currently stands at Php18.3-billion cannot be used in activities like repatriation.

We also thank our good Minority Leader Frank Drilon for bringing this issue to the fore and strengthening our call that the government should be adequately funded to withstand the massive job losses, displacements and continuing repatriation of Filipinos stranded abroad. Imagine, Mr. President, our OFWs contribute to the OWWA Fund through their toil, tears, and sweat, but they don't know what their benefits are.

The sixth problem area that this department seeks to remedy is REINTEGRATION. Favorite po ni Sen. Imee Marcos ito. Reintegration has become more challenging under the present set-up because the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the economic landscape. If local industries are retooling for a post-pandemic era, then a sector that makes up 10 percent of the economy will have to make adjustments as well.

Mr. President, sa dami po ng umuuwi sa Pilipinas, hindi makaalis, o wala nang babalikang trabaho abroad, tila wala pa ring mga programang reliable para sa skills training, job referral, o anumang paraan para mapakinabangan ang dalang makabagong kaalaman, expertise, at teknolohiya ng mga umuuwing migrant workers at OFs.

DOLE estimates that the pandemic, which continues to plague economies around the globe, displaced more than 520,000 OFWs. Tens of thousands of migrant workers are awaiting repatriation, many of them immobilized by the travel caps imposed by the IATF.

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues:

The structure of the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos (DMWOF) should meet the needs for navigating a world full of challenges to overseas Filipino workers, such as the post-pandemic world.

Besides the six problem areas that we have identified above and which we have been trying to address long before the pandemic, the DMWOF, given the proper orientation and mandate, will be instrumental to the transition towards a strategic post-COVID-19 Philippine economy.

The world will have changed when this department gets operational, and the last thing we need is a new bureaucratic accessory. What we should have is an agency that is a toolkit for the future.

At yan po ang binanggit ng ating Majority Floor Leader during our hearing, Sen. Migz Zubiri, maraming salamat.

Kaya't hindi lamang dapat parang lipat-bahay o pagpapalit ng karatula ng pangalan ang pagtatatag natin ng bagong kagawaran. Given the magnitude, the importance, and the vulnerabilities of Filipinos abroad, we specifically recommend the following:

First, reiterate the policy of the State to not promote overseas employment as means to sustain economic growth and to achieve national development.

Mr. President, it is not our intention to push for Filipinos leaving country, home and family just to work abroad. No. It is our goal to provide our fellow Filipinos with the necessary and adequate support they need in overcoming the difficult predicaments they encounter overseas; not of their own choice, but as brought about by what has become unavoidable desperate necessity.

Second, the DMWOF will absorb the functions and powers of the POEA, and the OWWA will be an attached agency of the new department. This is consistent with the proposals in Senate Bill Nos. 92 (by Sen. Koko Pimentel), 141 (by Senator Cynthia Villar), 202 (jointly-authored by Sen. Bong Go and Senator Tolentino), 461 (by Senator Revilla), 593 (by Senator Ralph Recto), 997 (by Sen. Pacquiao), 1323 (by Sen. Zubiri) and 2110 (by Sen. Bato), which mandated the transfer of POEA to the new Department.

Mr. President, we studied and drew lessons from experiences of the "model" followed by India, Nepal and Sri Lanka which are among the largest labor sending countries in Asia. They have integrated all government services under the supervision of one government body. Sri Lanka has a separate Ministry for Foreign Employment (MFE) that acts as the policy making body on all matters relating to foreign employment. India has established a separate ministry for overseas employment in 2004, but the ministry was absorbed in January 2016 by the Ministry of External Affairs, similar to our DFA. Nepal, on the other hand, has a Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security OR MoLESS which supervises all agencies handling migrant workers.

Ikatlo, the new department will have four (4) undersecretaries and appropriate number of assistant secretaries, with P1.1-B estimated budget, consistent with the DBM recommendations.

Mr. president, the four undersecretaries will serve in the following: (1) Office of the Undersecretary for Internal Management and Administration, which shall take over the functions of the POEA Deputy Administrator for Management Services; (2) Office of the Undersecretary for Foreign Employment and Welfare Services which shall take over the functions of the POEA Deputy Administrator for Employment And Welfare, as well as the functions of OUMWA, POLO, ISSO; (3) Office of the Undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication, which shall take over the functions of the POEA Deputy Administrator for Licensing and Adjudication; and (4) Office of the Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation and Special Overseas Filipinos Concerns, which shall subsume the functions of ILAB and the CFO.

Heeding to the call of Senator Imee Marcos to give greater support to our seaferers, two offices under the Office of the Secetary shall be created: the Office for Land-Based OFW Concerns and the Office for Sea-based OFW concerns. Each office shall be headed by an Assistant Secretary.

Fourth, ensure that no person shall be appointed as Secretary, Undersecretary, or Assistant Secretary of the department unless he or she has recognized expertise in governance involving OFWs and other OFs, or has been an OFW or overseas Filipino.

Fifth, establish, operate, and maintain regional, provincial, and other field offices in the different jurisdictions in the country. Ito po ay napakalaking bagay para sa ating mga bagong bayani

Sixth, rename the POEA Governing Board into the Advisory Board on Migration and Development, and empower it to act as the advisory body to the Secretary of the Department concerning issues on migration and development.

Seventh, replace the ATN and Legal Assistance Funds with the AKSYON Fund or Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo sa ating OFWs at OFs.

Eighth, give an assimilated rank similar to that of Counsellor Minister to the head of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Office abroad to give prestige and importance to the position of the MWOF officers.

Ito po ay sangayaon na rin sa panukala ng ating kaibigan Sen. Tolentino.

Ninth, mandate the Department to create an International Migration Training Institute, which will train MWOF personnel and a Migration Studies Center to conduct in-depth studies on migration affecting OFWs and other OFs parallel to what the International Labor Studies of DOLE does. The creation of a Migration Studies Center is consistent with the proposal of Senator Koko Pimentel in Section 13 of Senate Bill No. 92.

Tenth, develop and implement a full-cycle and comprehensive national reintegration program for documented and undocumented OFWs and other OFs. The reintegration program shall pervade in all the stages of migration for work from pre-deployment to on-site employment and upon voluntary or involuntary return home.

Mr. President, this is an important aspect of the department. While the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 provided for the establishment of a Replacement and Monitoring Center, the policy remained mostly on paper.

Eleventh, ensure adherence to the "One Country Team Approach".

Twelfth, establish a computer-based management information system that will also serve as the registry of skills for OFWs and other OFs.

Thirteenth, retain the Secretary of Labor as a member of the OWWA Board and give the DFA Consular Funds to undertake consular services. For the first year, a portion of the existing ATN Fund will be retained by DFA for the performance of consular services.

Fourteenth, ensure that there is no overlap between the Bangsamoro Ministry of Labor and Employment and the proposed department on the deployment of overseas Bangsamoro workers.

Fifteenth, declare that the OWWA Fund is a Provident Trust Fund. We agree with the proposal of Minority Leader Frank Drilon to convert the OWWA Fund into a provident trust fund. The fund shall exclusively provide retirement, death, and disability benefits to OFWs.

But what about our repatriation expense? In the final leg of our hearing, Cabsec Nograles assures us that the President will allocate Php5.2 billion as an additional repatriation budget to preserve the Trust Fund of OWWA.

Finally, enforce the conduct of a mandatory review ten years from the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos.

Mr. President, we are optimistic that there will be no more need for this department in the future that we included a sunset provision. We believe that ten years is a reasonable amount of time to evaluate the need to overhaul or abolish the DMWOF should circumstances prove that its existence is no longer necessary.

Mr. President, this bill draws heavily from Senate Bill No. 1949 filed by our colleague from Davao City, Senator Bong Go, certified as an urgent measure by President Rodrigo Duterte on December 15, 2020.

We also considered the eleven Senate Bills filed by our colleagues who have all been advocating for the welfare of overseas Filipinos, both within and outside of Congress: Senator Koko Pimentel's SB 92, Senator Cynthia Villar's SB 141, Senator Imee Marcos's SB 407, Senator Bong Revilla's SB 461, Senator Ralph Recto's SB 593, Senator Manny Pacquiao's SB 997, Senator Migz Zubiri's SB 1323, Senator Francis Tolentino's SB 202, Senator Bong Go's SB 202 and 1835, Senator Bato dela Rosa's Senate Bill No. 2110 and our SB 1848 .

We also touched base with more than 1,000 OFWs and OFs from more than 35 countries. And we want to thank several OFW groups for making these global consultations possible. Please allow me to mention some of them, Mr. President: Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, Center for Migrant Advocacy, National Seafarers' Day Committee, OFW Council of Leaders, Batangueño ng Saudi Arabia, United Filipino Global, Values Formation and Spiritual Transformation Council Phils. Int'l., Filipino Migrant Workers Group, OFW Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bantay at Kasangga ng OFW International, Advocates and Keepers Organizations of OFW (AKO-OFW), OFW Reintegration and Development, Inc. (OFW-RADI), Coalition of Licensed Agencies for Domestic and Service Workers, Inc. (CLADS), AMIGOS-MARINO, and Global OFW Coalition Movement for Change, among others.

We understand the grave importance of this legislation to the entire nation and we can only appreciate the multiple and persistent follow-ups of stakeholders on the progress of this measure, especially from the private sector.

Mr. President, from the very beginning, we knew that this work wouldn't be easy and it cannot be done overnight. Subalit nakarating po tayo sa araw na ito dahil na rin sa pagtitiyaga at mga position papers na natanggap natin mula sa DOLE, DFA, DBM, POEA, OWWA, DOF, DBM, NEDA, DSWD, TESDA, Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), SSS, Insurance Commission, and the Governance Commission for GOCC, at iba pa. We would also like to thank the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, na damang -dama kop o ngayon ang tulong, and the Office of Senator Bong Go for coordinating our requests with the executive branch.

Sa ating Senate President, Majority Floor Leader na laging nakasuporta sa atin.

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues:

Again, gusto po nating sabihin na nagtatayo tayo ng bahay para sa mga OFWs at OFs dahil may ibubuti pa ang pangangalaga natin sa ating mga bagong bayani. Naniniwala tayong may ibubuti pa ang buhay ng mga Pilipino. May ibubuti pa ang ating ekonomiya. May ibubuti pa ang ating mga industriya. May ibubuti pa ang mga institusyong humuhubog sa ating lakas paggawa.

Kapag bumuti ang lahat, hindi na kailangang mag-abroad pa ng Pilipino at mawalay sa kaniyang mag-anak para lang mabuhay. It is our dream to see our kababayans migrate only out of choice, and not out of necessity.

Bilang isa sa tatlong sangay ng pamahalaan, malaki ang tungkulin ng lehislatura na mapabuti ang ating ekonomiya at bansa. Sa ating pong mga kamay nakasalalay ang pagbibigay ng oportunidad at trabaho sa ating mga kababayan dito mismo sa Pilipinas.

Ginoong Pangulo, mga kasama ko sa Senado, pagtrabahuhan po nating iangat ang ating ekonomiya. Ubos-kaya nating gawin ang paglikha ng trabaho dito sa Pilipinas para sa manggagawang Pilipino. Hindi pagpapaalipin sa ibang lahi ang kapalaran ng mga Pilipino.

Maraming salamat po sa dakilang pribilihiyong ito na pangunahan ang pagtatayo ng bahay para sa ating mga bagong bayani. Ito po'y napakalaking pananagutan sa ating bayan. Niyayakap po natin ang pananagutang ito bilang Chairman ng Komite na ipinagkatiwala sa atin ng buong Senado. Hindi po natin ito maisasakatuparan kung hindi rin dahil sa inyong paggabay at maalab na suporta.

Magkakasama, marami po tayong magagawa para sa Pilipino.

Maraming Salamat po at pagpalain po tayong lahat ng ating Diyos.

News Latest News Feed