EIGHT THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED STRANDED FILIPINO OFW'S IN SAUDI ARABIA NAKAUWI NA..

Larawan ni Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III inabot ang tseke na insurance claim sa biyuda ng asawang si Rolando Cadoma na isang OFW sa Saudi Arabia.

Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello Nagpasalamat Kay

Saudi King Salman  Tungkol Sa Mga Stranded

Na OFW's

Dept. of Labor & Employment Sec. Silvestre Bello III, according to Sec. Bello 8,500 stranded OFW's are still awaiting to be repatriated as of press time.. by: bloggers association of the philippines reportorial team.

POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac spearheaded the launching of POEA 24/7 Hotlines and One Stop Service Center for OFW's.

Ipinahayag kahapon ni Kalihim Silvestre H. Bello III ang magandang balita sa repatriation assistance ng mga overseas Filipino worker (OFW) kasabay ng kaniyang pasasalamat kay King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ng Saudi sa pagaatas nito sa kaniyang Ministry of Labor na asikasuhin ang pagbibigay ng tulong sa mga OFW na nasa Saudi Arabia.

“Lubos na pasasalamat ang aming ipinaaabot kay King Salman sa kanyang pagmamalasakit sa ating mga OFW,” ani Bello, sa kanyang paghahatid ng update mula sa Philippine Overseas Labor Office sa Riyadh.

Kabilang sa mga iniatas ni King Salman ang pag-aalis ng immigration penalties dahil sa nag-expire na working visa, bayad sa eroplano ng mga OFW na pabalik ng bansa, pagkain, tulong-empleo sa mga nagnanais na magtrabaho sa ibang kompanya, at tulong legal para sa kanilang money claims.

Sinabi ni Bello na kinumpirma ng Ministry of Labor ng Saudi ang atas ng Hari upang tiyakin na mapoprotektahan ang mga karapatan ng mga banyagang manggagawa sa Saudi Oger at iba pang kompanya na naapektuhan ng krisis sa krudo.

“Ito ay isang malaking tulong sa ating pagpupunyagi na mapangalagaan ang kapakanan ng ating mga OFW,” ani Bello.

Maaari nang bumalik ng bansa ang mga manggagawang Filipino na-stranded sa Saudi Arabia dahil inalis na ni King Salman ang multa sa mga banyagang manggagawa na naapektuhan ng malawakang layoff at retrenchment. Sasagutin ng pamahalaan ng Saudi ang bayad nila sa eroplano.

Magbibigay din ng pagkain ang pamahalaan ng Saudi sa mga manggagawang nanatili sa lahat ng company camp, at ipadadala din ng Ministry of Labor ang kanilang mga abogado sa camp upang likumin ang mga money claim at iba pang kaugnay na reklamo upang maihain sa tamang lugar.

“Ipinaalam din sa amin ng Ministry of Labor na papayagan ang paglipat ng mga manggagawa sa ibang kompanya kung nanaisin pa ng mga ito na ipagpatuloy ang pagtatrabaho sa KSA. Maaaring maghanap ng bagong employer ang mga manggagawa, at ang mainam dito gagamitin ang Mega Manpower Companies para mag-alok ng trabaho sa mga manggagawa,” ani Kalihim Bello.

Ayon sa Kalihim, ipinaalam ni Ministry of Labor Director General Mohammed Al Sharekh ng KSA sa POLO-Riyadh na sa halip na hilingin sa libong manggagawa na ihain ang kanilang kaso sa Saudi Labor Office building, opisyal nilang tatanggapin ang mga kaso na kanilang makakalap mula sa camp.

Isa sa mga naging suliranin na kinaharap ng mga OWF ay nang mag-expire ang kanilang work permit matapos silang ma-retrench ng mga kompanyang nalugi dahil sa krisis sa krudo sa Middle East.

Nagtatag ang pamahalaan ng Pilipinas ng inter-agency emergency relief assistance mission, na binubuo ng Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, at ang Public Attorney’s Office, upang sumuporta sa kasalukuyang operasyon ng tatlong Philippine Overseas Labor Office sa KSA.

Babalik sa susunod na linggo sa Saudi Arabia si Kalihim Bello, kasama sina Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad III at POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, upang personal na tingnan ang nasabing mission operation.

Hinati sa tatlong grupo ang mga opisyal ng DOLE, na binubuo ng labor attaches, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration lawyers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration welfare officers, at training personnel mula sa TESDA, para sa magkakasabay na pag-deploy sa Riyadh, Jeddah, at Al Khobar. Sila ay tutulong sa pagpapatupad ng Relief Assistance Program sa pamamahagi ng pagkain, medisina, at cash assistance sa mga OFW na nasa company camps at shelters. 

POEA ADMIN. HANS LEO CACDAC WITH MS. ESTRELITA S. HIZON

One-stop service center for OFWs opens Aug. 15, 2016

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is launching a one-stop shop for OFWs on Monday, August 15, where all government frontline services are made accessible to Filipinos who are currently working or planning to work overseas.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said this is in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to make it easier for OFWs to avail the services of the government.

Sec. Bello said the One-Stop Service Center for OFWs (OSSCO) is located at the ground floor of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s main office at Blas F. Ople Building in Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City.

He said the one-stop service center is seen to reduce transportation expenses of OFWs and shorten the processing time of their documents.

Aside from making available to OFWs information on their respective programs and services and responding to queries of clients, the various government offices’ services to OFWs are as follows:

1. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)

· Passport Services
· Passport Validity Extension for Balik-Manggagawa (vacationing Workers)

2. Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA)

· Processing of OWWA Membership/Renewal of Membership

3. Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA)

· Assistance for Competency Assessment
· Verification of Certificates and Special Order
· Assistance for Replacement of National Certificates (NC)/ Certificates of Competency (COC)
· Training Assistance and Scholarship Program

4. Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)

· Issuance of Professional License

5. Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)

· Issuance/ Revalidation of Seaman’s Book

6. Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF)

· Processing of Pag-ibig Membership

7. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC)

· Payment of Philhealth Contribution
· Member registration and updating

8. Social Security System (SSS)

· Registration and Membership Data Amendment
· Acceptance of Loan and Benefits Claim Applications
· Loan Verification and Status
· UMID Capturing and Card Releasing
· Response to Queries

9. Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)

· Processing and Copy Issuance of:

* Certificate of Live Birth
* Certificate of Marriage
* Certificate of Death
* Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR)

10. Bureau of Immigration (BI)

· Departure Clearance Information

11. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)

· Issuance of NBI Clearance

12. Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

· Verification and Authentication of School Credentials

13. Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA)

· Travel Tax Payment
· Processing of Travel Tax Exemption and Reduced Travel Tax
· Response to Queries

14. Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)

· Documentation of Workers (Landbased and Seabased)
· Documentation of Workers-On-Leave/Balik-Manggagawa
· Registration of Landbased Worker-Applicants
· Verification/Certification of OFW Records
· Provision of Legal Assistance
· Response to Queries

Sec. Bello said one-stop centers will also being set-up in all regions spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Offices in coordination with the regional offices of the agencies cited above, local government units, and other partners and stakeholders.

The OSSCO in Ortigas and the regional offices will be opened from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday to Friday, or in its discretion, with prior approval of the POEA or DOLE Regional Office, it may extend services during weekends and holidays. (VergarciaBlogs)