QUEZON CITY, (PIA) –Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople has instructed the department’s welfare cluster led by Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac to work closely with other government agencies to deliver welfare assistance to Filipino migrant workers who maybe quake victims in Turkiye, Syria and Lebanon.

“I have instructed the DMW to share information with the AFP rescue mission bound for Turkiye regarding the names of overseas workers deployed to the said country,”Ople said.

“We will also open a 24/7 hotline to respond to calls for assistance including queries from anxious families. The nearest Migrant Workers Office is in southern Lebanon, and a team from that office will be heading for Turkiye soon,” Ople added.

Ople said the DMW will work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ensure that humanitarian assistance would be delivered to affected OFWs in quake-affected areas in the three countries.

In response to Secretary Ople’s instructions, Undersecretaries Allones and Cacdac said the department is activating its Hotline 1348 as a handling center for families of OFWs in the affected areas seeking information about their loved ones.

The DMW reports that there are an estimated 193 Filipinos in the three affected provinces of Hatay (113), Adana (51), and Gaziantep (29). (dmw/pia-ncr)