CBCP official wants non-politician in OWWA

MANILA, Philippines - A non-politician should be named to head the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), a senior official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Sunday.

CBCP Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrant and Itinerant People executive secretary Fr. Edwin Corros stressed this amid speculations that Palace allies, including defeated senatorial bet Prospero Pichay, will be appointed for the position.

"The person who will handle the workers' fund must be committed to fulfill the critical responsibility vested on him," Corros said in a statement on the CBCP website Sunday.

Corros is also a member of the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, a network of organizations promoting the rights of Filipino workers.

He asked all stakeholders to be extra-vigilant about the selection of the new OWWA head.

Albert Valenciano currently heads the OWWA as officer-in-charge.

The race for the OWWA's top post intensified after Pichay, a former congressman, was named as a possible nominee for the post once held by Marianito Roque, who had been named secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Corros said OWWA as the government agency mandated to promote and protect the welfare of workers and their families must have as head one with "competence, integrity, sensitivity to worker-related issues and openness to dialog and consultation with various stakeholders."

He said whoever is appointed head of the workers' fund has a delicate task of dealing not only with workers' issues but also of handling the agency's P10-billion fund raised from members.

Although this sector has seats in the governing boards of OWWA and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, it is not consulted in the appointment of sectoral representatives to these and other agencies, he added.

Echoing the plight of migrant workers and their families, Corros said that despite the workers' enormous contributions to the Philippine economy, they still lack representation in government. - GMANews.TV

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