Gov't sets programs for OFWs displaced by financial crisis
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/02/2008 6:41 PM
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The government has set in place skills training and microfinance programs in light of possible overseas job losses next year because of the global economic crisis.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said the government has been preparing for possible loss of jobs as they expect the retrenchment to start next year.
Fajardo said that upon instructions from President Arroyo, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has prepared training programs for skilled workers.
Deputy Spokesman Anthony Golez said the government is also looking into micro-financing to enable affected overseas Filipino workers or their families to put up their own businesses.
Golez noted that while other countries have already slipped into a recession, the Philippines remains stable because of measures instituted by the president.
On Tuesday, 82 OFWs returned to the Philippines after they were laid off in Taiwan.
The OFWs laid off from the Ace Company Ltd., a semi-conductor company in Taiwan, arrived in Manila around 4 p.m. on board China Airlines flight Ci-703.
“Over the weekend, the President has ordered the Department of Labor and Employment, the OWWA [Overseas Workers Welfare Administration] and other related agencies, including the PMS [Presidential Management Staff] to attend the needs of these returning OFWs and immediately come up with a program to be able to help them. And we are in the process of doing that,” said Presidential Management Staff (PMS) chief Serge Remonde.
Based on the records of Migrante International in Taiwan, as of October this year, there were 421 OFWs from the semi-conductor and IT companies who were laid off in Taiwan.
A total of 721 OFWs working for the electronics, plastic, metal works and LCD production companies lost their jobs from November 17 up to the end of the month.
“Some of the programs are already in place. I mean like, the micro-finance program, the retraining program in TESDA, of course, the opening of other labor markets that were not so much affected by the global crunch being promoted by the DOLE, the unaffected labor markets like the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. These are programs that are in place and funded,” Remonde said.
The funds, Remonde said will be sourced from, among others, the second batch of the “Katas ng VAT”.
“We hope for the best, but we have to prepare for the worst,” he said.
