Pro-women group wants OFW loan suspension probed

MANILA, Philippines - A partylist group is calling for an investigation into the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA’s) suspension of the pre-departure loan program for overseas Filipino workers allegedly due to lack of funds.

Gabriela, a partylist group advocating women's rights, is asking the Commission on Audit (CoA) to conduct an investigation into OWWA’s claims.

Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said the OWWA would still be able to support the loan program for departing OFWs despite incurring a P70-million loss.

“OWWA has enough money to support the pre-departure loan program. Its total assets currently stands at P10.2 billion and it collects around $27,000,000 a year from the $25- membership fee of an estimated 36,000 OFWs who leave the country annually," Ilagan explained.

In a previous statement, OWWA administrator and concurrent Department of Labor and Employment Sec. Marianito Roque, blamed the P70-million loss to the failure of the borrowers to pay their loan. It has reportedly granted P70 million in loans "but only 30 percent (of the OFWs) have been paying back."

Ilagan urged Roque to restore the pre-departure loan program amid the economic crisis due to high inflation rate as well as the increasing prices of prime commodities among others.

“Without the assistance program, they are left at the mercy of private loan sharks which lends money with an interest rate of up to 10% a month," Ilagan said.

The lawmaker added that the program’s suspension was unlawful because the pre-departure loan program was mandated by law to protect and promote the welfare of migrant workers and their families.

It was created under Section 21 of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 and allocated a revolving fund of P100,000,000.

Aside from Ilagan, Senate President Manny Villar earlier appealed to Roque to lift the suspension on pre-departure loan program and let it serve as “subsidy" to departing OFWs. - Fidel R. Jimenez, GMANews.TV

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