PASAY CITY -- Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Thursday, December 30, lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for signing Republic Act No. 11641 which provides for the establishment of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). The measure is one of the priority legislative measures of the Duterte administration.

"Congratulations po sa ating mga migrant workers. Matagal na nilang ipinaglaban ang departamentong ito at ngayon ay maisasakatuparan na ang isa sa mga pangako ni Pangulong Duterte sa inyo,” Go said.

“Tapos na ang panahon na pinagpapasa-pasahan sila at hindi na nila kailangang mahirapan pa para lang makakuha ng tulong. Iisang departamento na lang ang lalapitan para sa mabilis, maayos at maaasahang serbisyo mula sa inyong gobyerno," he continued.

The Senate voted 20-0 on Tuesday, December 14, to pass Senate Bill No. 2234. The bill, which Go is an author and co-sponsor, is the consolidated version of an earlier measure he filed to create the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers.

The newly-created DMW shall serve as the lead agency for implementing policies, plans and programs that will ensure the protection, promotion of interests, timely resolution of problems, and effective reintegration of OFWs.

To further ensure the effective protection of the rights of OFWs, the department is also mandated to regulate private recruitment agencies.

The Act also provides for the establishment of the Management Information System which will serve as the registry of all OFWs and a 24/7 Emergency Response and Action Center Unit and media and social media monitoring center to respond to their emergency needs.

The law likewise establishes the Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan (AKSYON) Fund which will be used to provide legal and other forms of assistance to OFWs. The AKSYON Fund will be separate and distinct from the Assistance to Nationals Fund and the Legal Assistance Fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

To fulfill its mandate, the DMW shall absorb all powers and functions of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration; Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs under the DFA; Philippine Overseas Labor Office, International Labor Affairs Bureau, and National Maritime Polytechnic under the Department of Labor and Employment; National Reintegration Center for OFWs under the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration; and Office of the Social Welfare Attaché under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The OWWA, on the other hand, will continue to function pursuant to its charter but shall be attached to the DMW for policy and program coordination purposes.

The DMW is a key campaign promise of President Duterte in 2016. In December 2020, he certified as urgent the version of the bill authored by Go after issuing several appeals for its immediate passage in his past State of the Nation Addresses.

As part of his commitment to continue advancing the welfare of the country’s “modern-day heroes”, the President signed Executive Order No. 154 last December 7 which will secure the completion of the country’s first hospital dedicated to OFWs in San Fernando City, Pampanga.

Go personally led the groundbreaking ceremony of the 100-bed capacity hospital which will primarily cater to OFWs and their qualified dependents in February 2020.

For his part, the lawmaker has helped bring home many distressed OFWs. He most recently aided in the immediate release of the delayed swab test results of Romel Villasante, an OFW from Dubai who had been quarantined in Alabang. Villasante received his results on December 26 and has since returned to his family in Tacloban City.

Go similarly provided additional assistance to 99 OFWs from Fiji who were quarantined at the Waterfront Hotel, Davao City earlier this year. He likewise played an important role last December in the release of Malik Darimbang, a Marawi City native who had been fighting a legal battle in Saudi Arabia for six years.

"Alam natin ang sitwasyon na pinagdaanan ng ating OFWs. Hindi nababayaran ang lungkot, lalung-lalo na kung napapalayo ka sa mga mahal mo sa buhay para lang may pangtustos ka sa gastusin ng iyong pamilya at mabigyan ng mas magandang kinabukasan ang iyong mga anak," said Go.

"Kaya talagang malaking accomplishment ito dahil binibigyan natin ng tamang pagkilala ang ating mga bagong bayani. Dapat suklian natin ang kanilang sakripisyo sa pamamagitan ng mas maayos at mabilis na serbisyo,” he stressed. (OSBG)