By Ferdinand Patinio/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Several agencies dealing with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may soon be under one office, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, based on their draft proposal, said the offices that handle matters concerning Filipino migrant workers will be placed under the proposed Department of OFW.
“All of them will be removed from their respective agencies and placed under one Department,” he said in an interview on Tuesday.
The agencies being eyed for transfer are the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, National Reintegration Center For OFWs, and the DOLE’s International Labor Affairs Bureau.
Also included are the Commission On Filipinos Overseas of the Office of the President, and Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Bello noted that the draft measure has been submitted to the Office of the President.
“We have been mandated by the Cabinet to come up with our own bill for the creation for the OFW department and we have already done that. We submitted the proposed bill creating the Department of OFW last Friday,” he said.
“The President wants to get the position of DOLE because we are supposed to be the expert on this matter. He wants to get our side in order to come out with a perfect bill on the creation of the OFW department,” the DOLE chief added.
On the other hand, Bello said the creation of the OFW department will allow them to focus on matters involving local employment.
“We will still be the same. We will handle work and employment and balancing the interest of both the worker and the employers. But we will ask for the strengthening of the powers of the DOLE,” he added.
During his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, President Duterte asked Congress for the creation of the Department of OFW.
The President is looking to establish the said Department before the end of the year.
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