Families orphaned by 2 OFWs get aid from Davao City LGU

The Davao City OFW Families’ Welfare and Crisis Center has offered assistance to the families who were left behind by two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who recently died abroad.

They were the first among the 49 clients who were assisted by the Crisis Center since it first established its hotline and office on May 2, said City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) OFW Coordinator Rosevic Joy Matilac Jayme in an interview on the Davao City Disaster Radio Tuesday. Jayme said that the orphaned families depend financially on the two migrant workers.

“Naa ta’y duha ka namatay na OFW sa gawas na natabangan nato ang pamilya diri sa Davao. Natagaan nato og assistance ang ilang anak na nabilin. Pag repatriate sa ilang patay na lawas, natabangan pud nato sila sa burial (We have two OFWs who died abroad whose families we have helped here. We were able to give assistance to the children left behind. When the dead body was repatriated, we also gave assistance for the burial),” Jayme said

She said that the repatriation proper was facilitated by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the city gave assistance to the families and for the burial of the OFWs.

Also, out of 49 clients served, a total of ten were able to avail of Assistance to Individuals on Crisis. Clients who need livelihood were assessed if they qualify for the livelihood programs of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and also the Sustainable Livelihood Program of the CSWDO, and the Magnegosyo Ta Day program.

The city government’s OFWs Crisis Center will continue to assist migrant workers and their families who need help. It has also been reaching out to OFWs and their families.

On June 7, it organized an OFW Left-Behind Families Virtual Forum participated by families of OFW in 14 CSWDO districts at the Sangguniang Panlungsod. The forum, held in a hybrid modality, gathered stakeholders including affiliates from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the OFW Foreign Workers Counseling Center (OFW-FWCC), and the CSWDO—face to face at the Sangguniang Panlungsod. Meanwhile, participating OFWs and their left-behind families joined the forum via Zoom.

The forum tackled the rights of the OFW, the protection of their families, the issues and concerns of the families left behind, and their recommendations on government programs that may help them.

“[We conduct] profiling sa needs nila aron matagaan nato og duso unsa tong mga need pud na polisiya sa atong siyudad na mabuo ang comprehensive program for OFW families diri sa Davao (We conduct profiling of their needs so that we could give push some policies for a comprehensive program of OFW families here in Davao),” she said.

OFWs and families of OFWs left behind can reach the OFW Families’ Welfare and Crisis Center Davao City through its hotline 0999 994 3577, email –  ofwcenter.davaocity@gmail.com or its Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OFW-Families-Welfare-and-Crisis-Center-Davao-City-109084935101895. CIO