‘Philippine aid for expats on its way to Riyadh’

RIYADH: Filipino beneficiaries of an urgent SR40 million financial aid have been inquiring on how to avail themselves of this aid that was announced during the recent visit of the Secretary of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Silvestre Bello III to the capital.
There are more than 11,000 Filipino expats entitled to receive such assistance once they have submitted the basic needed information. In his text message to Arab News, Bello confirmed that the aid is on its way to Riyadh.
“The amount has been released and is on its way to Riyadh already, except for the P65 million, reserved for the families of the stranded OFWs who are in the Philippines” he said in his text on Tuesday.
Sec. Bello announced the approval and release of P500b. (SR40m) from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) trust fund that will be given as a form of financial aid to the distressed OFWs and their dependents.
Bello, the chairperson of the OWWA board of trustees, instructed the OWWA to immediately complete in two weeks a draft proposal on implementing rules and regulations of the P26,000 financial aid to the laid-off and stranded OFWs.
In its Public Advisory no. 2016/37, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah said that the actual funds for the financial assistance recently announced by the DOLE Secretary, are not yet with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office POLO/OWWA-Jeddah.
“OWWA-Manila is still finalizing the arrangements on the remittance of the funds to POLO/OWWA-Jeddah. Further, OWWA-Manila is still formulating the implementing guidelines for the release and distribution of the financial assistance for affected workers” the statement observed.
“Our fellow OFWs are advised to wait for further announcements regarding this matter,” it added
On its part, the Diversified Movement of Empowered Migrants categorically denied any involvement or authorization for the distribution of the form for alleged financial assistance, said the group’s secretary-general, Saidali M. Malic.
“Upon securing a copy of the same form, we found out that it was a mere information sheet asking for OFW details, complaints, and status, with a clear intention of gathering data only,” he added.