Recruitment sector happy with adjustment of OWWA fees
The recruitment sector and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are happy with the Christmas gift given by the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration (OWWA), which is to officially adjust the per-contract membership fee collected from OFWs to P42 per US dollar.
Jackson Gan, vice-president of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME), thanked OWWA Administrator Marianito Roque for lowering to P42 the computation for the OWWA membership fee or P1050 starting this week.
"This is a very good Christmas gift to our OFWs. The lower fee will be able to help more than 100,000 rehires or balikbayan workers who are on vacation here for the holidays," he said.
On orders of Pressident Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the OWWA Board of Trustees chaired by Labor Secretary Arturo Brion has officially adjusted the computation for its membership fee effective December 18, 2007.
Rosalinda Baldoz, administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), earlier disclosed that the OWWA's computation will be adjusted starting January 1, 2008.
Meanwhile, Gan urged Congress to pass the bill creating a Workers Bank to assist OFWs set-up livelihood projects and small business enterprises after their stint overseas.
He said the Workers Bank operations should be able to help all OFWs as they finished their contracts and decide to stay for good in the country. Funds can be sourced from the P 8.6-billion trust fund where membership fees from OFWs are held in trust by the OWWA Board.
"OWWA projects for OFWs have been far and few for the past years and many workers have been complaining that requirements for livelihood loans and placement fee assistance are too stringent and most of them do not have the collateral imposed by the OWWA fund assistance department," Gan stressed.
In another development, the industry leader repulsed two members of the House of Representatives for strongly advocating the refund of the fee to the workers.
"They do not realize that it is highly improbable to return the over-payment to the more than one-million workers deployed this year, majority are re-hires who only return to the country every two years. The OWWA will be hard pressed to look into their records and trace the worker just to return the money," he pointed out.
Gan also called on the Department of Finance and the Central Bank to lower remittance fees and alleviate the workers plight from the lower dollar value against the peso.
Jackson Gan, vice-president of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME), thanked OWWA Administrator Marianito Roque for lowering to P42 the computation for the OWWA membership fee or P1050 starting this week.
"This is a very good Christmas gift to our OFWs. The lower fee will be able to help more than 100,000 rehires or balikbayan workers who are on vacation here for the holidays," he said.
On orders of Pressident Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the OWWA Board of Trustees chaired by Labor Secretary Arturo Brion has officially adjusted the computation for its membership fee effective December 18, 2007.
Rosalinda Baldoz, administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), earlier disclosed that the OWWA's computation will be adjusted starting January 1, 2008.
Meanwhile, Gan urged Congress to pass the bill creating a Workers Bank to assist OFWs set-up livelihood projects and small business enterprises after their stint overseas.
He said the Workers Bank operations should be able to help all OFWs as they finished their contracts and decide to stay for good in the country. Funds can be sourced from the P 8.6-billion trust fund where membership fees from OFWs are held in trust by the OWWA Board.
"OWWA projects for OFWs have been far and few for the past years and many workers have been complaining that requirements for livelihood loans and placement fee assistance are too stringent and most of them do not have the collateral imposed by the OWWA fund assistance department," Gan stressed.
In another development, the industry leader repulsed two members of the House of Representatives for strongly advocating the refund of the fee to the workers.
"They do not realize that it is highly improbable to return the over-payment to the more than one-million workers deployed this year, majority are re-hires who only return to the country every two years. The OWWA will be hard pressed to look into their records and trace the worker just to return the money," he pointed out.
Gan also called on the Department of Finance and the Central Bank to lower remittance fees and alleviate the workers plight from the lower dollar value against the peso.
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