No need to refund OFWs of overcharged fees
The proposal to refund Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) for fees that they have been unwittingly "overcharged," by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), do not seem to set well with the recruitment sector.
Reports say Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Arturo Brion has disclosed his inclination to refund the overcharged fees.
On the other hand, Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago insisted that the OWWA should return the excess in membership fees it had collected from departing OFWs, after it allegedly used "an artificial" exchange rate of P51 to one US dollar.
Jackson Gan, Vice-president of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters said there is no need to refund the over-payment of the one million workers deployed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
"The DOLE/OWWA should just use the money for workers assistance loans which has been negligible for the past years. OWWA should allocate more funds to help ex-OFWs for their livelihood projects and welfare assistance centers, in countries where there is a high rate of welfare cases.
"The government should pressure Congress to pass the bill setting up a Workers Bank, for the benefit of our hard working OFWs, so that overseas workers can avail of loans and financial assistance from the P7-billion OWWA trust fund," he said.
Gan also refuted OWWA Administrator Marianito Roque's allegation that they are the recruiters who are complaining (about the supposed overcharging of fees) and not the OFWs.
"Mr. Roque is dead-wrong," he stressed.
The FAME vice-president stressed that the reduction of the OWWA fee will benefit more than 500,000 re-hires or balikbayans, who are required to pay membership fees every time they are processed for their return to the job-sites and the overseas employment certificate from the POEA. The re-hires cannot leave the country without the OEC since they are classified as overseas workers.
The agencies (land-based sector) generate 300,000 new hires every year and the sea-based sector deploys around 200,000 seafarers who are basically also re-hires since they are returning to their ships or cruise liners with new contracts.
Meanwhile, OFWs are indignant over the over-payment of OWWA membership fees and are pressing the government to immediately reduce the fees to the current exchange rate of P 41 to 1 dollar.
The OFWs joined the recruitment industry in demanding for the immediate reduction in OWWA fees, instead of waiting for its implementation in January 1, 2008, as announced by POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz.
FAME chairman Alfredo Palmiery and PASEI president Victor Fernandez supported the appeal of former PASEI president Lito Soriano, urging immediate reduction of the overcharged OWWA fees which he exposed earlier.
Reports say Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Arturo Brion has disclosed his inclination to refund the overcharged fees.
On the other hand, Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago insisted that the OWWA should return the excess in membership fees it had collected from departing OFWs, after it allegedly used "an artificial" exchange rate of P51 to one US dollar.
Jackson Gan, Vice-president of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters said there is no need to refund the over-payment of the one million workers deployed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
"The DOLE/OWWA should just use the money for workers assistance loans which has been negligible for the past years. OWWA should allocate more funds to help ex-OFWs for their livelihood projects and welfare assistance centers, in countries where there is a high rate of welfare cases.
"The government should pressure Congress to pass the bill setting up a Workers Bank, for the benefit of our hard working OFWs, so that overseas workers can avail of loans and financial assistance from the P7-billion OWWA trust fund," he said.
Gan also refuted OWWA Administrator Marianito Roque's allegation that they are the recruiters who are complaining (about the supposed overcharging of fees) and not the OFWs.
"Mr. Roque is dead-wrong," he stressed.
The FAME vice-president stressed that the reduction of the OWWA fee will benefit more than 500,000 re-hires or balikbayans, who are required to pay membership fees every time they are processed for their return to the job-sites and the overseas employment certificate from the POEA. The re-hires cannot leave the country without the OEC since they are classified as overseas workers.
The agencies (land-based sector) generate 300,000 new hires every year and the sea-based sector deploys around 200,000 seafarers who are basically also re-hires since they are returning to their ships or cruise liners with new contracts.
Meanwhile, OFWs are indignant over the over-payment of OWWA membership fees and are pressing the government to immediately reduce the fees to the current exchange rate of P 41 to 1 dollar.
The OFWs joined the recruitment industry in demanding for the immediate reduction in OWWA fees, instead of waiting for its implementation in January 1, 2008, as announced by POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz.
FAME chairman Alfredo Palmiery and PASEI president Victor Fernandez supported the appeal of former PASEI president Lito Soriano, urging immediate reduction of the overcharged OWWA fees which he exposed earlier.
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