Manila cash assistance to 150,000 affected OFWs
- 23 Apr 2020
Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter
The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Al Qusais, Dubai (POLODXB) resumed on Thursday the acceptance of applications for the one-time Php10,000.00 ($200.00/Dhs730.00) financial help extended to terminated/no work-no pay status overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as a consequence of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
As of 2 p.m. on Thursday, POLODXB team which includes officers and men of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration had documented 26,462 applications from Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
Labor Attache in Dubai and the Northern Emirates Felicitas Bay told Gulf Today: “Our Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in Manila was allocated a budget of Php1.5 billion ($29,603,314.50/Dhs108,734,898.30) for this program. So with our limited funds, only 150,000 affected overseas Filipinos all over the world (and not only in the UAE) could be accommodated.”
“Once the 150,000 have been reached, we will cease accepting applications,” she also said.
Resumption may happen if and when the Duterte Administration pumps in more money to the original Php1.5 billion budget.
Aside from the two POLOs in the UAE, 32 others are located in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Under the DoLE Department Order No. 212 Series of 2020, the cash assistance has been appropriated for 150,000 OFWs in nine countries in the Middle East and Africa including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In the Asia and Pacific are Australia, Brunei, HongKong, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and New Zealand. In Europe and the Americas are Canada, Cyprus, Italy, Germany, Greece, Spain, Switzerland, UK, and the US.
On Thursday, an additional 154 OFWs in Dubai and the Northern Emirates were advised to withdraw from a designated exchange center their Dhs730.00 each.
As of Thursday, POLODXB had disbursed a total of Php7,685,362.00 ($151,600.00/Dhs553,340.00) to 758 OFWs with 604 in April 21 and 22.