DAVAO CITY (PIA)-- One of the newest cabinet departments in the government, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) now has an operational regional office in Davao.
Under Regional Director Angela Librado-Trinidad, the DMW regional office is located at the erstwhile POEA regional office- second floor AMQ Building along Lakandula Street, corner Dacudao Avenue in Davao City.
Librado said several government agencies that deals with Overseas Filipino Workers have been absorbed into the DMW.
“POEA is now under the DMW, it is not correct to say that the POEA is the new DMW, the POEA is just one of those entities, institutions that is under the DMW," she said.
Among those agencies absorbed by the DMW include Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (OUMWA) formerly under the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB), National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) and the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) which are offices taken from the Department of Labor and Employment.
Also under the DMW is the Office of the Social Welfare Attaché which used to belong to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Meanwhile the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWWA is an attached agency of the DMW.
“Ang timal-ihan na naa ba sila sa DMW (an indicator that they are under DMW), any or all concerns relating to the OFWs will now be addressed by the DMW,” Librado.
She said part of the DMW’s mandate is the establishment of regional offices across the country.
“Services will mainly be the documentation of the workers, so tanan na trabahante na OFW na gusto mugawas mga direct-hires or agency hires pwede ma documento sa atong opisina pati atong mga returning workers, mga atong balik manggagawa,” Librado said.
Other services include health related concerns, information assistance. “Kasagaran namo madawat kaning mga request sa mga asawa on information kabahin sa mga seafarers na bana (Mostly we receive requests from the spouses on information about their husband seafarers),” the DMW regional director said.
She said that subject to the provisions of the Data Privacy Law they provide information to the spouses and authorized representatives.
“We also provide welfare services that include naturally legal, psycho-social services, depending on the needs of our OFWs pwede nato irefer sa lain-laing agencies,” Librado said. (RGA/PIA11)
