DOLE eyes deployment of more OFWs to Canada

FILE: Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III at the Postbank Center in Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila.
(Photo by Alejandro Echavez , IPS via Department of Labor and Employment – DOLE/Facebook)

MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday said it is looking to deploy more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Canada.

“Sa (In) Canada, meron kaming (we have a) joint communique that will pave the way for the deployment of skilled workers in (Yukon) Canada,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in an interview.

“In fact in the province of Yukon, we are planning to deploy on a government to government basis skilled workers,” Bello added.

The DOLE chief noted that the needed workers are machine operators, cooks, and chefs among others. However, mostly needed are equipment operators and engineers since the area is a mining territory.

He added that a bilateral agreement will be signed between the two countries and will be crafted by their technical working groups.

“They will designate their technical working group and we will have our technical working group and they will have the discussion on the preparation of a bilateral agreement which will also provide a contract template of employment,” Bello explained.

With this, he reported that Filipinos in Yukon, numbering about 3,000 out of the 20,000 total population, are happy with their lives there.

“Because in my conversation with the Filipino community doon (there), it seems that the condition of our workers there are well-protected. Not a single Filipino worker or OFW gave a negative comment of their stay there. They all appear to be very prosperous,” the DOLE chief said.

“That is why I immediately proposed to (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) administrator Bernard Olalia that we will adopt a government to government arrangement for us to be able to deploy our overseas workers with minimum requirements. Kasi ang ganda ng kalagayan nila doon (It’s because their condition there is good). They have no complaints about their pay and other privileges and this will entitle them to bring their family if they want to,” he added.

Bello said they are eyeing to start the deployment in November.

“I think we are talking of a timeline as early as November. Gusto ko nga (sana) lahat ng overseas workers natin doon na lang lahat (If that’s the case, I would like if all of our overseas workers are there),” he added.