To solve the rising woes on illegal recruitment
Villar wants no-fault insurance for OFWs

Senate President Manny Villar today pushed for the creative and simple application of the no-fault insurance system for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in order to solve the rising number of victims of illegal recruitment.

"The no-fault insurance is traditionally associated with motor vehicles. In my analysis, the same program can be applied where an illegally recruited OFW can receive direct payment or reimbursed by the insurer regardless of their fault in the incident, in this case, in the application for overseas employment itself," Villar, who is also Nacionalista Party president, said.

Villar noted that the no-fault insurance is a form of indemnity plan in which the injured in an accident or misfortune receives direct payment from the company with which they themselves are insured. The no-fault insurance eliminates the need for victims to establish another's liability or fault, through a civil case. It has proven to be an effective system as it leads to quicker settlement and reduce bureaucratic layers in resolving issues.

"I want the Senate Oversight Committee on Labor and Employment, the Department of Labor and Employment and its agencies to study the matter urgently," Villar said while adding that one out of eight OFWs leaving the country are victims of illegal recruitment.

"To support the no-fault insurance fund, a percentage of what we pay in the passport processing or in the travel tax or in the embarkation fee may be earmarked for the purpose," he said.

"Our OFWs are leaving the country with the prospect of greener pasture for their families. A number of our migrant workers are successful proving that the Filipinos can excel in whatever field. But there are Filipinos who in addition to having suffered the hardships of illegal recruitment have to go through the complexity of legal procedures to claim indemnification or even refund of fees paid by them," Villar said.

Villar said no-fault insurance can help victims of illegal recruitment to easily refund the money they loaned from loan sharks and money obtained through sale of properties to help them start over.