2008 Performance Highlights

 

OVERSEAS WORKERS WELFARE ADMINISTRATION

Program Accomplishment Report

The year 2008 ushered in a new change in the leadership of OWWA.  For the first time a lady is at the helm in the person of Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon, DPA, former Deputy Administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).  She took over from Marianito D. Roque who was promoted as Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment.

 

2008 was marked with the nationwide launching of the Araw ng Pasasalamat in June where OWWA acknowledged the contribution of the overseas workers and his/her family to the nation and community.  Awarded were the oldest surviving OFW, largest contingency, most number of membership, and most supportive LGU. Deserving financially challenged OFWS were extended financial assistance.

 

The Most Outstanding OFW Family Year Award (MOFYA), for the first time, produced winners from the land-based and the sea-based sectors with special awards in entrepreneurship and community project.

 

The usual Pamaskong Salubong was conducted in December at NAIA, Diosdado Macapagal Airport and Davao International Airports where winners were given cash gifts and pangkabuhayan packages.

 

Towards the last quarter of the year, OWWA in partnership with other DOLE agencies took the lead in providing repatriation and reintegration assistance to the first batch of OFWs who were affected by the Global Financial Crisis.  The initial forty (40) displaced workers from Taiwan were awarded by President Gloria M. Arroyo in Malacanang with livelihood packages composed of skills training, training cum production from NRCO and PhilHealth Membership.  Furthermore, DOLE-OWWA set the One-Stop-Center at NAIA for the returning displaced OFWs that provide the list of services available to them.

 

 

MEMBERSHIP AND INSURANCE BENEFITS

In 2008, the OWWA Membership Program insured and covered 1.2 million sea-based and land-based workers.  They are entitled to a life insurance of PhP 100 or 200 Thousand depending if cause of demise is natural or accidental, and a burial benefit of PhP 20,000.  Over PhP 1.36 million in fees were collected at the regional welfare offices, POEA collection center and overseas posts.

 

OWWA paid to 2,488 OFWs and their families a total amount of PhP 216,024,163 for life insurance claims (PhP 199,008,663.00 for 1,371 OFWs)  and dismemberment/ disability benefits (PhP17,015,500.00 for 1,117 OFWs) in 2008.

 

 

SOCIAL SERVICES AND FAMILY WELFARE ASSISTANCE

The strength of OWWA is its ability to respond effectively and efficiently to the welfare needs of Filipino overseas workers and the family members they left behind.  In 2008, the agency managed/settled 269,565 welfare cases that were reported by OFWs/families who visited or called the overseas posts, regional welfare offices (RWOs) and 24/7 Operations Center.

 

OWWA pioneered the Tuloy-aral Program which is a donation-based assistance to keep in-school the children of former OFWs who were not lucky in their overseas employment. For a donation of USD100.00, a year’s elementary or high school education of a child is assured.  In 2008 there were 580 recipients in the elementary and high school and 7 students in college.

 

Repatriation Assistance, the agency’s frontline service to bring home distressed workers, responded to the needs of 5,540 OFWs for homeward repatriation.  For the last year, 571 OFWs received advance tickets that amounted to Php 27,365,377.34 for their travel home.

 

Repatriation services offered by OWWA start from the overseas post up to the OFWs’ travel back home to their respective residences.  Records show that 5,538 distressed OFWs sought Airport Assistance (including documentary processing for release of human remains at the NAIA); 1,924 availed of the Halfway Home Accommodation; 79 needed Medical/Rehab Services; and 761 availed of Domestic Transportation/Fare.

 

 

REINTEGRATION PROGRAM

OWWA takes pride in its function as an agency that provides care to OFWs, their families and former members.  There are 2,232 newly organized OFW Family Circles (OFCs) with 44,955 members and a maintained pool of 1,968 OFCs with 40,205 members. The RWOs with partner agencies conducted 153 training sessions with 6,643 participants under the OWWA Groceria project. To date there are 496 Groceria projects (cooperative stores) nationwide.

 

Other reintegration activities were the conduct of 1,797 skills and livelihood training (e.g. Value Formation, Financial Literacy, and EDT) sessions which were attended by 97,664 OFWs and OFC members at overseas and at the RWOs.

 

 

EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

OWWA has institutionalized several scholarship programs for the OFWs and their dependents. Under the short-term educational programs, OWWA granted scholarships for the enhancement of skills and eventually facilitate the employability of 2,197 OFW dependents through the Skills-for-Employment Scholarship Program (SESP). This particular scholarship is specific to 1 to 2 years vocational courses offered by TESDA or its accredited training or craft schools.

 

There were 5,719 OWWA members from the sea-based sector who benefitted from the Seafarer’s Upgrading Program (SUP). This scholarship grant allows seafarers to undergo advance skills training on courses prescribed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) thereby enhancing their employabilities.

 

In response to the maritime industry’s need to supply marine officers, OWWA through its Bridging Program has provided a scholarship grant to graduates of mechanical and electrical engineering who want a career as a marine officer.  The curriculum includes 8 to 12 months of ship-board experience aside from the classroom hours.  In 2008 there were two (2) schools who participated in the program and 107 engineers availed of the scholarship.  The program produced 34 new marine and marine transport engineers, who were eventually employed by the principal ship owners.

 

As part of the long-term scholarship program, OWWA has been sending to universities dependents of OFWs to complete a college degree.  The Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP) which started in 2004 with a hundred now has 371 scholars while the Congressional Migrant Workers Scholarship Program (CMWSP) has 88 scholars.  Both programs have produced 83 graduates (EDSP-47 and CMWSP-26) despite the latter whose entrants to the scholarship program is suspended since funds from the Congress and PCSO (as prescribed in R.A. 8042) did not come in 2008.

 

There were 220 trainers from accredited Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) providers for sea-based manning agencies that were re-oriented on the new PDOS curriculum. Some 397,595 ready-to-leave OFWs received their PDOS from these OWWA accredited PDOS providers in 2008.

 

To respond to the growing needs of the household service workers for language and culture familiarization, OWWA trained 60,979 in basic spoken and written language in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian, English & Hebrew to help them get along in the day-to-day association with employers and foreign nationals.  In addition, the curriculum included stress debriefing and first aid application.

 

OWWA supports the value of staying connected with the family using a cheaper means through information technology (IT).  This was the core concept of the OWWA-Microsoft Tulay when it was launched in 2005.  This year there are 3,990 OFWs and dependents that availed of the training and are now conversant with IT software.  The project has also provided skills on basic computer software applications such as word processing excel spreadsheet, e-mail, etc.