Marcos to strengthen migrant workers department

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed to pursue the priority programs of the administration of President Duterte for overseas Filipino workers.

In his speech during a town hall meeting in Marikina City this week, Marcos said he would strengthen the newly created Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and provide affordable housing to OFWs.

“We need to look after the families of our OFWs, and provide access to scholarships for their children, affordable housing programs as well as sustainable livelihood programs. The social cost of labor migration must be reduced, while reintegration programs to welcome our returning workers home need to be expanded across all regions,” he said.

Marcos, who considers himself an administration candidate, also said he would ensure the smooth transition and operationalization of the DMW, which was enacted into law on Dec. 30, 2021 and is estimated to benefit and serve 2.2 million migrant workers based on the 2019 Survey on Overseas Filipinos conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

He added that the creation of DMW would enable the government to uplift not just the welfare of OFWs but also that of their families.

Aside from this, the former senator also committed to address calls of OFWs for affordable housing for their families.

“Rent is eating up a great share of OFW remittances and it is the dream of nearly every OFW to have a home to own after their work contracts are over,” he said.

He believes the government can tap the different housing agencies and launch partnerships with the private sector for expanded affordable housing schemes for OFWs.

“Let’s look at how possible tripartite agreements between government through the Pag-IBIG fund, the private sector and our OFWs for rent-to-own housing programs so that the homes they are renting can eventually be their own,” he said, noting that the OFWs are crucial contributors to the country’s economy through remittances that constitute 8.9 percent of the gross domestic product.

Although his UniTeam’s priority includes job creation at home to keep Filipino families intact, he stressed that he also respects every Filipino worker’s desire to earn a higher income by going abroad.

“As parent, we all aspire to provide the best future for our children. Filipino workers remain in great demand across the globe because of their hard work, integrity and competence. Our OFWs are the best ambassadors of goodwill that we could ever hope for,” he added.