Following the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) assured that it will not slack off in looking after and promoting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“The entire SONA speech reflects not just a government in action but a country on a shared journey towards a much brighter future for all, including our migrant workers,” DMW Secretary Susan Ople said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Ople said the DMW will see to it that it does its mandate to be the guardian of OFWs.

“We at the DMW will do what needs to be done so that “walang maiiwan sa ating sama-samang paghubog sa Bagong Pilipinas (no one will be left behind in our collective effort for a New Philippines),” she said.

In his SONA on Monday, Marcos assured the continued employment of some 50,000 workers and the deployment of many more Filipino seafarers aboard European Union vessels.

However, he said that the Filipino seafarer’s education and skills must always be attuned to the high, exacting and constantly evolving global standards.

Ople said that it took 17 years for the Philippines to attain significant progress in terms of international maritime education and skills certification standards.

To attain transformational changes to expand opportunities and build momentum for the global Filipino seafarer, Ople said that the DMW will work closely with the Department of Transportation, the Commission on Higher Education, the Maritime Industry Authority, as well as other relevant agencies.

Meanwhile, the President assured that the government continues to address the issue of unpaid salaries and other related claims of some 14,000 OFWs who have been put out of work in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic.

He said that no other than His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman committed his government’s settlement of claims owed to Filipino construction workers dating back to 2015 and 2016.

“As far as the DMW is concerned, based on our talks with the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development, the resolution of claims is just a matter of time. We need to defer to and respect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s own internal processes in handling such claims,” Ople said.

As Marcos promised to prioritize and ensure that the principles of ethical recruitment, fair employment and the safe and orderly migration of OFWs especially in forging agreements and bilateral labor relations with other countries, Ople assured that they will continue its collaborative path with external stakeholders, especially with countries who truly appreciate the excellence of Filipino workers.

“The DMW is inspired by the President’s appreciation for our good relations with other countries on the labor migration governance front,” she said.

On the administration’s directive to all government agencies to digitize, Ople said the DMW’s OFW Pass, which is the digital version of the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), is now being pilot-tested in 10 countries.

She said that the department is closely monitoring its usage and gathers feedback from the OFWs themselves, as she assures that the paper version of the OEC will continue to be issued until the transition from analog to digital has gained traction. (PNA)