OFW repatriates from Libya reach 2,736 — DOLE

Avito C. Dalan / Philippine News Agency

MANILA — Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz on Tuesday said the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated from Libya through the DOLE’s Assist WELL Program has doubled in over a week as the program is being smoothly implemented as expected.

DOLE said the 1,299 OFWs assisted through Assist WELL as of 10 August 2014 has more than doubled reaching 2,736 as of date.

“They have requested for a total of 8,064 assistance of various types, with most requesting for three or more types of assistance. As I said, our regional and other attached offices are working double-time to satisfy their requests for various assistance,” said Baldoz.

She attributed the spike in the request for assistance to the number of repatriates who arrived en masse over the weekend through the government’s repatriation program. A total of 736 OFW repatriates arrived from Libya via Malta last Saturday and Sunday on board two government-chartered flights of national flag carrier Philippine Airlines.

She said the most number of request, a total of 1,710, is for overseas job assistance, or 63 percent of total requests.

Last week, as the DOLE started tracking the repatriates’ request, Baldoz expressed the view that the number of OFWs wanting to go back to work abroad other than Libya supports the conventional wisdom that OFWs who have already experienced working abroad would still want to go abroad for obvious reasons.

At 1,684, the second highest number of request is transportation assistance, mostly by OFWs going back to their provinces; followed by requests for livelihood, or tulong-pangkabuhayan, at 1,346, or 49 percent. Thirty-four percent of the request are for assistance to be employed locally.

Other assistance requested and the number of repatriates who requested them are as follows: scholarship or training, 694 (25 percent); legal assistance, 541 (20 percent); temporary accommodation, 406 (20 percent); medical assistance, 250 (nine percent); and stress debriefing/counselling, 167 (six percent).

Other types of assistance requested are medical assistance for a member of the OFW family; financial loan/loan for business; scholarship for OFW dependents; and claims for unpaid salary. One OFW asked for assistance to put up a welding shop, while 30 repatriates asked for the refund of their placement fee.

Baldoz said that of the 2,736 OFW repatriates assisted, an overwhelming 2,027 are active members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, while 615 are not. The rest, or 94, have no record.

She also said the 2,736 OFW repatriates from Libya come from all of the country’s 17 regions, with OFWs from Region 4-A the most numerous at 695, or 25 percent. A total of 495 OFW repatriates are from Region 3 (Central Luzon); 376 from the NCR; 207 from Region 6 (Western Visayas); 145 from the Bicol Region; 135 from Region 1 (Ilocos Region); and 113 from Region 7 (Central Visayas).

The labor and employment chief said the DOLE continues to assist repatriates from Libya through the Assist WELL Program, which seeks to address the Welfare, Employment, Livelihood, and Legal needs of OFWs repatriated from Libya to ensure their smooth and effective reintegration.