MANILA, 17 August — A formal grievance and feedback committee is now being organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for migrant workers to air their complaints against the government.
The Consultative Council of OFWs (CCOFW) is "an effort to formalize the current networking with NGOs (non government organizations) concerned with OFW welfare," Administrator Wilhelm Soriano of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) told Arab News.
The CCOFW will be formed through an executive order to be signed by President Gloria Arroyo soon, said Soriano.
It will hold regular monthly consultations and discuss the problems of OFWs, as well as the possible solutions, Kaibigan ng OFWs Executive Director Noel Josue said.
The committee will be headed by Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas and will include representatives from OWWA, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Technical Education and Services Development Authority (TESDA), the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), OFW associations and NGOs.
"All sectors will be represented, including industry," Soriano said, explaining that currently government conducts consultations with various interest groups on a "per sector basis."
Soriano also said the objective of the committee is to included OFW industry players in government policy formulation and to ensure transparency in the decision making process on matters involving migrant workers.
At the same time, he explained, the committee can serve as the government's instrument for feedback gathering.
"We listen to them for their needs, we develop programs, we deliver, then we listen again to them whether that delivery is effective or not," Soriano explained.
The OFW associations to be included is the only thing holding up the formalization of the CCOFW, Soriano said.
"If we formalize this immediately, somebody is bound to complain that they were not consulted. But it will only be because we do not know they are there," he explained.
Soriano pointed out that there were just so many organizations, although "everybody is free to come and join."
"What we are trying to do here is as much as possible we reach out to good numbers of them. Because we are not really sure if they exist or not. We provide a venue of communication. We open the line for consultation," he said.
