President assures OFWs no letup in gov't efforts ...
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Sunday there will be no letup in her efforts to improve the plight of millions of Filipino migrant workers, including the 100,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait.
In her message before the Filipino community in Kuwait last night, the President said she fully understood the full range of their plight, their sacrifices and their hard work.
She also assured them that her administration appreciates deeply their contribution to the Philippine economy, which has posted a 7.5 percent second quarter growth rate this year, the highest in 20 years.
"We value so much your sacrifices, your dedication to your work, your devotion to your family and love for your country and we are equally proud of the ambitious and tough economic reforms we implemented that had somehow helped break the offshore cycle and improved our economy," the President said in Filipino.
"The gains of an improving economy include the day when we see our Filipino workers need not go abroad to look for jobs, and the day when overseas work is just another career option and not the only choice that you have to earn a living," she added.
The President stressed that the government continues to take care of the OFWs through the various reforms it has instituted to protect their welfare.
The reforms include skills training for workers, culture and language orientation, mechanisms on the protection of workers rights, the possibility that employers would shoulder the pre-deployment fees of OFWs and the increase in minimum wages based on the skill of the worker.
"Our administration negotiated the increase of the minimum wage from 200 dollars a month to 400 dollars a month," the President said.
She noted that the initial reaction of the employers to the call for salary increase was negative, especially in Hong Kong, but eventually their resistance was overcome.
Today, the rate of deployment of OFWs in Hong Kong is back to normal, the President said.
The President noted the increase in the demand for Filipino engineers, nurses and other skilled workers as well as the decline in the number of maltreatment cases in Kuwait.
This came about as a result of her directive to the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare and Development, and Labor and Employment to come up with mechanisms that would enable OFWs to gain rapid assistance from Philippine government agencies to overseas Filipinos in distress.
The President added that she also ordered the setting up of toll free hotlines and assistance groups in order that OFWs and their families will continue to have contact.
She said she recognized the negative impact on the income of OFWs of the continuing upswing of the value of the peso against the US dollar.
On the other hand, however, this development must also be viewed for what it is, a manifest sign of the improvement in the Philippine economy.
"We understand your plight," she said, adding that the government has come up with several measures to cushion the effect of the strong peso on OFWs remittances.
These measures include livelihood projects for OFWs families.
In her message before the Filipino community in Kuwait last night, the President said she fully understood the full range of their plight, their sacrifices and their hard work.
She also assured them that her administration appreciates deeply their contribution to the Philippine economy, which has posted a 7.5 percent second quarter growth rate this year, the highest in 20 years.
"We value so much your sacrifices, your dedication to your work, your devotion to your family and love for your country and we are equally proud of the ambitious and tough economic reforms we implemented that had somehow helped break the offshore cycle and improved our economy," the President said in Filipino.
"The gains of an improving economy include the day when we see our Filipino workers need not go abroad to look for jobs, and the day when overseas work is just another career option and not the only choice that you have to earn a living," she added.
The President stressed that the government continues to take care of the OFWs through the various reforms it has instituted to protect their welfare.
The reforms include skills training for workers, culture and language orientation, mechanisms on the protection of workers rights, the possibility that employers would shoulder the pre-deployment fees of OFWs and the increase in minimum wages based on the skill of the worker.
"Our administration negotiated the increase of the minimum wage from 200 dollars a month to 400 dollars a month," the President said.
She noted that the initial reaction of the employers to the call for salary increase was negative, especially in Hong Kong, but eventually their resistance was overcome.
Today, the rate of deployment of OFWs in Hong Kong is back to normal, the President said.
The President noted the increase in the demand for Filipino engineers, nurses and other skilled workers as well as the decline in the number of maltreatment cases in Kuwait.
This came about as a result of her directive to the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare and Development, and Labor and Employment to come up with mechanisms that would enable OFWs to gain rapid assistance from Philippine government agencies to overseas Filipinos in distress.
The President added that she also ordered the setting up of toll free hotlines and assistance groups in order that OFWs and their families will continue to have contact.
She said she recognized the negative impact on the income of OFWs of the continuing upswing of the value of the peso against the US dollar.
On the other hand, however, this development must also be viewed for what it is, a manifest sign of the improvement in the Philippine economy.
"We understand your plight," she said, adding that the government has come up with several measures to cushion the effect of the strong peso on OFWs remittances.
These measures include livelihood projects for OFWs families.
Comments