MANILA — A House of Representatives panel has formed a technical working group (TWG) to consolidate two bills seeking to expedite the process of repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a statement issued Friday, the House committee on overseas workers affairs, chaired by ANGKLA Partylist Rep. Jesulito Manalo, approved the TWG creation in order to fine-tune House Bills 674 and 1983, which seeks to amend the Migrant Workers Act of 1995 (Republic Act 8042).
Manalo said the bills are in light of President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement to ban deployment of OFWs to Kuwait, as well as to repatriate all those who want to return to the Philippines.
Diwa Partylist Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, author of HB 674, said the bills aim to ensure that repatriation requests will be processed with the appropriate urgency.
The existing law does not specify a definite period of time within which the repatriation must be completed.
Under the bills, the OWWA is mandated to ensure that a migrant worker is repatriated within 15 working days from the date that notice of approval is given to the requesting party.
If the migrant worker is deceased, the repatriation shall be completed within 30 working days from receipt of the written request.
All licensed recruitment agencies will be required to provide the POEA with their active email addresses for communication purposes concerning repatriation.
Any fees required shall be considered part of the repatriation cost to be shouldered by the principal, agency or OWWA as the case may be, subject to appropriate reimbursement. (Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)