By Ferdinand Patinio/PNA
MANILA — Job opportunities for Filipinos, particularly English teachers in Thailand, will be available soon.
This after Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III revealed on Tuesday that the government is set to sign an agreement with the host country this month.
But he noted that hiring of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is only for teachers.
“Meron naman (There are) (other countries we’re negotiating for employment). Pero (But it is) on a limited scale. I think within the next two weeks of April, we will have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Thailand,” the DOLE chief said in an interview.
“(This is for) English teachers. Meron silang (They have a) need for English teachers,” he added.
Asked on the number of teachers to be employed, Bello said he cannot give a figure yet as they will talk about it.
Meanwhile, the DOLE and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration launched a hotline that will attend to client calls requesting assistance on various OWWA programs, services, and benefits including issues on employment contracts, repatriation assistance, and other OFW-related queries and concerns.
The Hotline 1348 is available 24/7, Monday to Sunday, including holidays. Clients will simply dial 1348 using landline or mobile phone.
For clients outside Metro Manila, they may dial (02) 1348 while international clients may dial 0632-1348.
“With the Hotline 1348, clients can easily reach the OWWA 24/7Operations Center that is responsible for monitoring and endorsing OFW-related concerns to appropriate OWWA offices or government agencies for immediate action. This is our way of adhering to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s mandate to improve government programs and services for our OFWs and their families,” said Bello, who is also the chair of OWWA Board of Trustees in a statement.
For his part, OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac noted that OFWs will be assisted by trained personnel.
“We want the OFWs, their families, and the public to be able to connect with OWWA with as much ease as possible. Thus, our Hotline 1348 is staffed by dedicated live agents trained to respond to calls, provide information, and gather requests for assistance from our clients,” he added.
The project is in partnership with ePLDT Inc. Also, Smart, which is under PLDT, will be providing free 30-minute Wi-Fi services to OFWs visiting or transacting business within the OWWA building.
