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OWWA Region 1 presents membership benefits to OFWs

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By Bernard Ver
Contributor

San Fernando City, La Union—The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) regional office 1 conducted a familiarization and beneficial functions of the organization conference to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the region here.

Social benefits update
At the forum, OWWA social benefit head Marissa C. Naboye discussed the “MedPlus” and welfare assistance program (WAP) for the “land-based” and “sea-based” workers. The assistance program deals with the accidental and death benefits for active, and non-active members including suicide cases—which falls under natural death.

Also, the WAP program covers calamity assistance and can give PHP3,000for the active member and PHP1,500 for the inactive. OWWA will give the said assistance within three months after a declaration of a ‘state of calamity” by the government.

Other assistances OWWA offers are: bereavement, disability, medical assistance, relief assistance that ranges from PHP10,000 to PHP20,000.

“Another one is the MedPlus—an illness program for the OWWA and PhilHealth members that provides supplemental health assistance especially the ones who has ‘dread disease’ per OFW-member. Sadly, 'metastasis' [mostly cancer patients] is not an excuse and only one disease [is]covered by this assistance program," explained Ms. Naboye.

Education, training assistance
OWWA-RWO1 education and training head Rhoda R. Lee emphasized the pre-employment/on-site employment/post-employment education program to prepare workers before departing the country.

According to law, she said the system should officially register legal working agencies and the laborers must submit themselves to undergo “pre-departure orientation program” (PDOS), and/or the comprehensive pre-departure education program (CPDEP), which OWWA conducts every Tuesday at their offices nationwide.

For the Scholarships for OFW Dependents, Ms. Lee said “The education and development scholarship program is a learning support mechanism of the administration that can give up to PHP60,000 for four- to five-year courses.” At present, the program covers 86 scholars.

Balik-Pinas, balik hanapbuhay
OWWA-RWO1 reintegration head Dolly Ann G. Camacho, for her part, explained the cash grant livelihood assistance program, the “Balik Pinas Balik Hanap Buhay” under the entrepreneurial development training (EDT) provided by the OWWA. Beneficiaries can utilize the cash grant amounting to PHP20,000 for livelihood projects including: hog-and other livestock-raising, rice trading, food-house, sari-sari store, snack house and welding shop.

Ms. Camacho said “OWWA is aware also of the repatriation problem of the OFWs, wherein there is displacement or laid-off workers.”

She added that there is existing OWWA program that help them along the way to have their business back in the country—as clamors of most OFWs.


Statistically, as of February 2017, there are 444,728 OFW members in region 1. There are 137,119 active and 307,609 inactive members; Pangasinan has 240,433; La Union has 78,347; Ilocos Sur has 71,934; and Ilocos Norte has 54,014.
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