DMW aims to increase deployment of OFWs in 2023

By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is aiming to increase the number of overseas Filipino workers this year, Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople said on Tuesday. "One of our key objectives is to increase the number of deployed OFWs for this year. From July to November of last year, 486,673 lang iyong na-deploy natin: for the land-based, nasa 352,911; sea-based, 219,869," Ople said at a Palace presser. "The good news is that there are several emerging markets. We have invitations pending for bilateral labor talks with Romania, Hungary and Portugal," she added. Ople said she had met with the Minister of Labor and Welfare of Hong Kong, Minister Chris Sun, wherein the possibility of exploratory talks on the deployment of Filipino caregivers to Hong Kong was raised. "But early, early stage pa ito. We need to send a team to Hong Kong to meet with his team as well," Ople said. Ople said the DMW is also working with the Department of Justice on illegal recruitment and human trafficking cases. "Of course, we are all familiar with the situation in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. We continue to remain at to maintain a tight watch on the online illegal recruitment and trafficking of our workers to those places," she said. Ople also reiterated that the DMW needs to fill-up around 1,000 vacant positions. "So doon po sa gustong magtrabaho sa Department of Migrant Workers, pakiabangan na lang po iyong aming announcement ng vacancies which we will also need to clear and coordinate this information with the Civil Service," she said. "We will also be adding four Migrant Workers offices. Off hand, we are looking at Bangkok, Thailand. We are also considering Guam and two more TBD [to be declared] because we are assessing the needs of our workers," Ople added. The DMW looks at employability, foreign employment opportunities, the size of the OFW population, as well as welfare cases in those countries, vulnerability of our workers in those countries, according to Ople. — BM, GMA Integrated News

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