MANDALUYONG CITY -- More employment opportunities abroad, programs for OFW children and a quicker response time to repatriation requests round up the Department of Migrant Workers’ First 100 Days report, Secretary Susan Ople said.

Based on data generated by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), around 255,429 Filipino workers were able to land jobs abroad in the first 100 days of the Marcos Administration.

“This number is higher by 45% compared to the deployment of migrant workers from July to October last year,” Ople said.

The DMW said it expects higher deployment figures this year due to the lifting of the restrictions in the sending of OFWs to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a steady increase in the demand for Filipino seafarers and the emergence of new labor markets requiring workers of various skills.

Combined with efforts to enable migrant workers to land decent jobs overseas, the department is also maintaining a One Repatriation Command Center to ensure that distressed OFWs are able to come home to their respective families.

“In the First 100 Days, the One Repatriation Command Center (ORCC) of the DMW was able to receive more than 5,066 requests for repatriation assistance, with 1,635 of such cases deemed successfully resolved with the return of our OFWs,” Secretary Ople said. The rest of the pending cases are now under negotiation in various overseas labor posts as some require legal and medical assistance,” the migrant workers secretary said.

She cited as an example a cancer patient in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia who is due for repatriation with the assistance of the Saudi government. “We are just waiting for her physician to certify that she is fit enough to travel by plane,” Ople said.

The DMW’s hotline for those seeking repatriation is 1346. OFW families and distressed workers can also send an e-mail to repat@dmw.gov.ph.

In its First 100 Days Report, the DMW also cited its flagship program for the children of Filipino migrant workers. Through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the children of OFWs are being taught financial literacy, culture and the arts and mental wellness. “OWWA and the DMW have rolled out community-based programs for OFW children to build their self-esteem and gain access to new friends and creative courses,” Ople said.

Before the year ends, the DMW hopes to be able to achieve the following: 1) launch and roll-out of the digital version of its Overseas Employment Certificate or OEC; 2) legislative approval of its first-ever budget for 2023; and 3) implementation of ease of doing business strategies that would lead to faster and safer deployment of OFWs.

“By next year, the DMW shall have sufficient funds to establish regional offices to service the needs of OFW families and potential OFWs across the country,” Ople said. (DMW)