By Junex Doronio
MANILA — With almost nil threat of the Covid-19 virus, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has observed that overseas employment for Filipinos returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
On Thursday, DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said the agency issued some 2.5 million overseas employment certificates (OECs) and passes to OFWs last year.
“By and large, talagang bumalik sa pre-pandemic levels and more ang overseas employment ng ating mga mahal na OFWs, 2.5 million ang overseas employment certificates and passes ang na-issue ng ating mga tauhan…para magkaroon, mag-facilitate ng mga trabaho ng mga OFWs,” the DMW OIC said in a public briefing.
Cacdac credited the efforts of the late former DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople for reducing the time needed to process the OECs from the previous 30 days to only one or two weeks.
At the same time, there has been efficient provision of assistance to distressed OFWs.
“Of course, iyong ating pagbubukas ng merkado sa Saudi after a deployment ban ay nagbigay-daan din sa restoration of Saudi-Philippines bilateral labor relations na nagbigay ng empleyo sa higit-kumulang na mga 90,000 OFWs na nagtungo sa Saudi Arabia,” Cacdac noted.
(El Amigo/MNM)
