By Marita Moaje | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the grant of financial assistance is in full swing for overseas Filipino workers affected by the conflict in the Middle East.
In a media briefing on Friday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the DMW is providing $200 (about P12,000) in cash assistance to workers experiencing employment shocks, including termination, reduced working hours, and salary cuts due to regional instability.
Cacdac said the DMW has received its budget replenishment from the Department of Budget and Management, as approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“Of this amount of P800 million, there will be allocations for financial assistance on-site, financial assistance here in our country for those who have returned, and there will be allocation also for transport, for airfare, air transport. In a nutshell, our financial assistance guidelines will pertain to those whose work has been affected by the crisis,” he said.
“Lalarga tayo in terms of further distribution of our financial assistance of $200 per worker affected by the crisis.”
Cacdac said that to date, 4,502 OFWs from the Middle East have received financial assistance.
DMW Assistant Secretary Jun Rasul, meanwhile, explained that due to the Middle East conflict, many OFWs suffered permanent or temporary loss of employment, reduced income as a result of reduced working time, and work disruptions.
The program covers OFWs across 10 countries in the Middle East—Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
A key feature of the program is the streamlined application process, which Rasul said is designed to make it easier and faster for workers to receive assistance amid ongoing disruptions.
“The department has decided to simplify the procedure for application and make it easier for our affected OFWs to avail of this financial assistance of $200,” he said.
Under the guidelines, applicants must submit a request for assistance form, a copy of their passport, and proof of overseas employment, such as a contract, visa, labor card, or analogous document.
They must also present any proof of income disruption, including employer certification of pay cuts, reduced pay slips, termination notices, or visa cancellation.
The DMW also allows self-declaration, enabling workers to attest to job loss or reduced income due to shortened working hours or salary reductions.
“And then to make it easier, we allow ‘sariling salaysay,’ self-declaration on the part of the affected OFW that he has lost his job or has been given pay cuts due to limited working hours, reduced working hours, and so on and so forth,” Rasul said.
The agency will also accept a certification from the Filipino community organizations that can certify or attest that there have been reduced working hours, he said.
“In the case, for example, in Dubai duty-free, we heard that most of the sales ladies there are allowed to report twice a week na lang because of reduction in the number of tourists coming in, so meron pong schedule sila to report, so nababawasan po ang kanilang sweldo. So the reason of that, the department has decided to grant financial assistance to them, the amount of $200 coming from the action fund,” Rasul said.
Cacdac noted that the $200 assistance is part of a broader crisis response package that includes on-site aid, repatriation support, and reintegration programs for returning workers.
He said that as of Friday, 6,605 Filipinos have been repatriated from the Middle East.
Of the number, Cacdac said that 5,023 are OFWs while 1,343 are their dependents, or 6,366 government-funded repatriations.
Meanwhile, 30,587 OFWs in the Middle East have received various government services, including food, transport, shelter, medical, and financial assistance.
