THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) said Wednesday, March 1, they do not have enough funds to extend assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who were repatriated from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as its finances suffered from downtrend in the price of crude oil in the world market.
This was after more than a dozen OFWs from Northern Mindanao sought the help of Owwa after they were sent home from the oil-rich country due to the failure of the Saudi Government to pay their salaries.
According to Migrante, a group of OFWs, there are about 11,000 workers from the provinces in Northern Mindanao were working in the Arab nation and employed by the Saudi Oger Ltd., Saudi Bin Laden Group, Mohammad Al Mojil Group and other firms, until the oil price crisis affected its economy.
Jonas Rule, Migrante leader for the repatriated Saudi OFWs, said many of them have not received their wages for three to nine months since 2015, and have not paid their end of service payment and other benefits as most of them had already went home.
To survive in Saudi Arabia, many of them had to beg or scour for scraps that they could sell.
“Worst of all, several of us committed suicide out of desperation,” Rule said.
Rule said some of them were given the Owwa relief assistance program in the amount of P26,000 but added this was not enough for their families’ daily needs and debt payoffs.
“That’s why we are asking Owwa, the labor department and other government agencies to help us get back on our feet,” he added.
For its part, Owwa officer-in-charge Leonor Mabagal said the agency does not have sufficient financial assistance at present since funds have yet to be released by the national office.
Despite the absence of available financial aid, former OFWs can still raise their livelihood either through loan at Land Bank or avail of skills training at the Technical Skills and Development Authority, Mabagal told the group during a dialogue at the Owwa office Wednesday afternoon.
Mabagal said the Owwa is willing to help the repatriated workers so they can obtain the loan.
“OFWs who have potential business endeavor may also apply for a collateralized livelihood loan ranging from P100,000 to P2 million under the OFW-Reintegration Program of Owwa in the partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines,” said Mabagal in her letter to Maria Luisa Salonga-Agamata, director of the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) Public Assistance and Information Office, in reply to the complaint filed by the former overseas workers to CSC.
Rule said while they are open to any option, applying for loan at Land Bank would take some time and what they need is immediate assistance.
“We don’t want our families to starve, that’s why we are asking for immediate help from concerned government agencies,” he added.
To date, it remains to be seen which government agency will provide the former OFWs the cash assistance they need.
