DFA offers P5K aid for Ompong-stricken OFWs


September 16, 2018
 

By

Cristina Lee-Pisco
 
People's Journal
Typhoon Ompong
AFP photo
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be extending P5,000 financial assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) if their scheduled travel to or from the Philippines is affected by super typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut).
In a statement, the DFA confirmed the cash assistance to affected overseas workers that was announced by Foreign Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano during the Command Conference on Typhoon Ompong chaired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday.
“The President has directed the DFA to prioritize the concerns of our overseas workers and in line with this, we are extending cash assistance of P5,000 to those who would be stranded in our airports or seaports while on their way to or from destinations abroad,”  Cayetano said.
According to the Secretary, the assistance is similar to what the DFA extended to overseas workers who were affected by the runway closure at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last month.
Cayetano said the DFA distributed more than P5.5 million in cash assistance to 1,104 overseas workers who were stranded in Manila by the runway accident involving a Xiamen Air 737 at the NAIA.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said the cash assistance will be released by the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs (OMWA) to overseas workers who may miss their travel to destinations abroad or their return to the country as a result of flight delays or cancellations.
Arriola said affected workers would be required to personally submit copies of their travel documents and employment contracts when claiming the cash assistance.
She said claims will be processed at the DFA main office on Roxas Boulevard and all consular offices nationwide starting Monday as well as at the NAIA, Clark International Airport, Mactan International Airport, and Davao International Airport beginning Saturday.

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