malaysiangManila: A party-list lawmaker on Thursday warned that the reduced budget allocation for the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) for 2025 could affect its various services and programs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
During the plenary debates, OFW Party-list Representative Marissa Magsino questioned the budget cut despite the increasing number of OFWs deployed abroad, with the proposed 2025 DMW budget amounting to PHP8.504 billion, lower than the PHP10.12 billion in 2024.
“Nakakalungkot isipin na sa halip na mas palakasin pa ang DMW upang matugunan ang lumalaking bilang ng mga OFW na nade-deploy sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo, mukhang pinapahina pa ito sa pamamagitan ng malaking bawas sa budget (It is saddening to think that instead of strengthening the DMW to address the growing number of OFWs being deployed to various parts of the world, it seems to have been weakened through a significant budget cut),’ Magsino said.
“Sa kasalukuyan, patuloy ang pagdami ng ating mga kababayan na nangingibang-bansa u
pang magtrabaho, at kasabay nito, dumarami rin ang kanilang pangangailangan para sa suporta at proteksyon mula sa ating pamahalaan (At present, the number of our fellow citizens going abroad to work continues to rise, and along with this, their need for support and protection from our government also increases),” she added.
She particularly pointed out that one of the programs to be affected with the budget reduction is the establishment of Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) in foreign posts, which could further assist OFWs, especially in emerging labor markets.
During her visits to host countries such as Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Magsino observed a shortage of manpower in MWOs despite the large number of OFWs in these countries.
She said that in Singapore, for example, there are only four plantilla items and seven local hires serving nearly 200,000 OFWs.
“Sa kasalukuyang manpower, ang ratio ng MWO staff sa ating mga OFW ay 1:18,000. Kung ganito kaunti ang mga plantilla items na b
ibinigay sa DMW para gampanan ang kanilang tungkulin para sa ating mga OFW, kabilang na ang Assistance to National functions, talagang mapipilay ang DMW sa pagtalima sa kanilang mandato lalo na at alam natin na kumplikado ang mga suliraning kinakaharap ng ating mga OFW sa mga bansang pinagtatrabahuhan nila (With the current manpower, the ratio of MWO staff to OFWs [in Singapore] is 1:18,000. If the DMW is given so few plantilla items to perform its functions for our OFWs, including Assistance to Nationals, the department will struggle to fulfill its mandate, especially given the complex challenges faced by OFWs abroad),” Magsino said.
Magsino called on Congress to increase the agency’s budget.
“Ang karagdagang pondo ay simbolo ng ating suporta sa mahigit 6 na milyong OFWs. Ito ay maliit na halaga kumpara sa USD37.2 bilyon o halos PHP2.75 trillion na kanilang kontribusyon sa ating ekonomiya. Ipakita natin ang ating pagkalinga sa pamamagitan ng mas malaking pondo para sa DMW (This additional funding is a symb
ol of our support for more than 6 million OFWs. It is a small amount compared to the USD37.2 billion or nearly PHP2.75 trillion they contribute to our economy. Let us show our care by providing a larger budget for the DMW),” Magsino said.
Source: Philippines News agency
