Bayanihan 3 can replenish OWWA aid funds

MANILA – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is looking forward to the passage of the Bayanihan 3 law to be able to replenish its funds for the Abot Kamay Ang Pagtulong (AKAP) Program.

OWWA chief Hans Leo Cacdac said on Friday at the Laging Handa briefing that some 450,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have benefited from the financial assistance.

“We’re almost complete. We are down to our last 5,000, I think,” he said.

Cacdac said OWWA’s hopes were revived after learning that House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco is working towards the approval of Bayanihan 3.

“Speaker Velasco said Bayanihan 3 is being prepared so we look forward to that to replenish our AKAP funds,” he said.

Velasco said in previous interviews that the Department of Finance assured efforts are being made to identify funding sources for the PHP420-billion Bayanihan 3.

Under AKAP, Filipino workers on site or those who have been repatriated due to the pandemic are given a one-time financial aid of PHP10,000 or USD200.

Cacdac said close to 10,000 dependents of OFWs also received PHP30,000 under the Tabang OFW program, which covers collegiate level dependents of temporarily or permanently displaced OFWs.

“Tabang OFW is our project with the Labor and Higher Education departments and was inaugurated by Senator Bong Go,” he said.