The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jeddah (POLO-Jeddah) conducted a seminar on labor practices at the Dr. Erfan & Bagedo General Hospital along King Fahd (Sitteen) Road in Jeddah over the weekend.
The event was attended by 40 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)
“We are happy indeed that we have been able to render various services to fellow OFWs working at the hospital which resumed operations recently,” Labor Attache Alex A. Padaen of the POLO in Jeddah, told Arab News yesterday.
The hospital reopened recently after the Ministry of Health suspended its operations due to the death of eight-year-old Salah Al-Deen during surgery due to a technical flaw in the anesthesia equipment.
Padaen spoke about the services of POLO as well as the legal basis for its creation under Republic Act (RA) 1005. The law was passed in 1995 as a result of the clamor to provide a law for OFWs in light of what happened in the Flor Contemplacion case.
Contemplacion was a Filipino maid executed for murder in Singapore on March 19, 1995. Her execution severely strained Philippine-Singaporean ties. It caused many Filipinos to vent their frustration at the Philippine and Singaporean governments.
“POLO is an attached agency of the Consulate General in Jeddah and helps OFWs with labor-related cases. If an OFW runs away from his employer for whatever reasons, POLO endorses his case to the Governor's Office,” he said.
He added that while a case is being resolved, POLO is ready to provide assistance through an assigned case officer. He also said that the POLO compels an employer to provide an exit visa.
“In the case of stranded female OFWs, there's the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) where they can stay while their case is being resolved,” he said.
Welfare Officer Marivic Demingoy discussed the benefits under the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration (OWWA) such as providing a plane ticket or requesting the POEA to compel a recruitment agency to provide one if necessary.
She also said that part of OWWA's services to OFWs is providing loans ranging from P300,000 to P2 million as part of its reintegration program. Moreover, she said, OWWA also provides burial services.
John Silica, representative of the Social Security System (SSS), also spoke, discussing SSS benefits to OFWs who are voluntary members.
Under SSS rules and regulations, members can apply for a pension after retirement at the age 60.
If they request, SSS could also fork over a lump sum equivalent to three months.
Morever, SSS members can continue paying monthly contributions until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 if they want to receive a much bigger monthly pension.
The maximum monthly contribution is P1,560 or P4,680 every quarter, although a proposal has been submitted to President Benigno Aquino lll to increase the monthly contribution ceiling.
POLO Jeddah holds seminar on services for OFWs
