ILOILO CITY — A congressman is pushing for the establishment of a center in the fifth district of Iloilo to cater to the needs of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the area.
Representative Raul Tupas said the proposed center will focus on the needs and concerns of the migrant workers from the district to avoid incidents like what happened to slain OFW Joanna Daniela Demafelis, whose family lost contact with her for two years before her remains were found inside a freezer in Kuwait last February 9.
Demafelis, who was sent to her final resting place Saturday, was a resident of Barangay Ferraris in Sara town, Iloilo province.
Tupas said that the establishment of the center is “viable” in their district per his previous talk with Secretary Silvestre Bello III of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Hans Leo Cacdac, administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
According to Tupas, the establishment of the center is among the initiatives of Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III of ACTS-OFW Partylist for the many individuals from the fifth district who are working abroad and their families.
“We are pushing for this office to provide convenience to the family of OFWs who are left here especially in the isolated barangays. Through this, they no longer need to go to Iloilo City or Manila to follow-up their concerns regarding their family who are out of the country,” he added.
Tupas said they will still finalize the plan this week, noting that they still have to identify the area where the center will be constructed, as well as prepare the funds for its establishment.
He expressed hope that once realized, the center would really be a big help for the OFWs and their families in the province’s fifth district. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
