THE House of Representatives may push bigger allocations for agencies assisting overseas Filipino workers as tensions in the Middle East threaten to force more Filipinos home, House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs chair Bryan Revilla of Cavite said on Thursday.
Revilla said Congress is prepared to study both a larger budget in the next General Appropriations Act (GAA) and possible supplemental funding if the crisis worsens and repatriation needs escalate.
“Yes po actually noon pa po namin sinasabi na kailangan ho talaga natin na dagdagan ang pondo ng DMW at ng OWWA in case po may ganitong klaseng problema na mangyari,” Revilla said in a press conference.
He said the House wants regular updates following a joint briefing with the Committee on Foreign Affairs and agencies including the Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and Department of National Defense (DND).
“Well yes, I believe so kailangan natin makakuha ng weekly updates po kung hindi po weekly at least mga case-to-case basis sa mga nangyayari,” he said.
“As far as we’re concerned, iba iba po ang mga nangyayari every day, every day may pagbabago ng mga nangyayari and we just want to make sure na updated din po ang ating House para po sa mga information po just in case na may kailangan ng tulong o may kailangan aksyon,” he said.
Revilla said one of the immediate concerns raised during the briefing was the limited manpower of migrant workers offices in the region despite the huge number of Filipinos there.
“Nasa gitna po sila ng giyera ngayon and we understand there are at least 2.4 million Filipinos that are in the Middle East and ang staff po ng ating MWOs, kada opisina po ay meron po mula 10 hanggang 20 tao lang. So isipin po ninyo undermanned po ang ating mga MWOs,” he said.
“Kailangan pa po natin siguro magkaroon po ng karagdagan mga employees o mga katulong po para matugunan ang problema,” he said.
He said such gaps may require congressional action and more funding to fill crucial posts abroad, alongside efforts to strengthen repatriation mechanisms.
Revilla also said lawmakers are open to supplemental appropriations should the regional conflict worsen.
“Yes po. Kailangan po natin ‘yan pagkadating po, sana ‘wag naman pong mas lalo pang uminit ang tensyon diyan sa Gitnang Silangan.
Kapag uminit pa ho ang tensyon napakarami pong OFWs na kailangan nating pauwiin,” he said.
“Nakita naman po natin noong pandemya,
although iba naman po ‘yung case ng pandemya, na kung saan lahat halos madami pong OFW’s na umuwi po dito sa ating bansa. Napakagastos po niyan para sa parte po ng ating gobyerno, pero sa ngayon po okay po na meron po tayong mga ganyan klaseng mga proposals na magdagdag po ng supplemental budget kasi alam naman po natin na kailangan po iyan ng ating mga OFW’s,” Revilla said.
Revilla stressed that OFWs deserve strong protection from the government, noting their economic contribution.
“Ang ating mga OFW’s po ay isa po sa mga malaki nagco-contribute para sa ating bansa. Halos $32.8B po ang kanilang nire-remit kada taon po dito sa ating bansa. So I think it’s really… kailangan po talaga natin silang protektahan, at kung ano man po ang kanilang kailangan dapat po natin ibigay,” he said.
The lawmaker also disclosed that thousands of Filipinos in Kuwait alone have already sought help.
“So far, nag-request ng over mga 4,357 ang nag-request ng assistance, 2,690 ang nag-request ng repatriation. This is just for Kuwait,” Revilla said.
He added that government agencies still have funds available for evacuation and emergency response.
“Yung emergency repatriation fund po ang remaining po ngayon ay nasa P1.4B, ang utilization rate po nila ay nasa P8M,” he said.
“Dun naman po sa action fund ang allocation po nyan mula po sa ating GAA ay P2B, pero ngayon po nakapag-download na po tayo ng P200M sa bawat MWO po dyan sa may bandang gitnang Silangan at ready pa ho magdownload ng panibagong P200M po ‘pag kailangan pa ho ng ating mga kababayan,” Revilla said.
Revilla said chartered flights are also being lined up for distressed workers, even as some evacuation routes remain complicated by airspace restrictions and unstable conditions on the ground.
“But none the less po, the government is doing what we can, kung may mga chartered flights po diyan, I believe Secretary Hans ay nagbigay na rin po ng mga utos ng Presidente na bigyan pansin po ito,” he said.
“Naninwala po ako, pagkaka-alam ko po, there are already flights being scheduled for repatriation for our OFWs within the Middle East,” he said.
He said some Filipinos had already crossed through Egypt to catch flights home, but stressed that authorities must ensure their safety first.
“We have to make sure na secure po ang ating mga kababayan at makauwi po ng buhay,” Revilla said.
At the same time, he brushed aside blame games over the government’s readiness, saying the focus should be on immediate action.
“Right now po, hindi po natin kailangang magturuan, kailangan po nating magtulungan,” he said.
“So kung ano po ang mga kakulangan ng ating national government, ‘yan po ay sisiguraduhin natin na magawan po ng paraan, para lahat po ng ating mga kababayan na kailangan po ng repatriation, o kung kailangan din po ng financial assistance bukas po ang pintuan ng ating mga ahensya na nandyan po sa bandang gitnang silangan,” Revilla said.
Revilla said the House had already passed the proposed Bagong Balikbayan Act, which he said adopts a whole-of-government approach for returning OFWs, and expressed hope that it would also be approved by the Senate.
Looking ahead, he said the next national budget should already reflect the risks now confronting Filipino workers abroad.
“So now maganda po na napag-uusapan na po ito and I think sa susunod po na pagpasa ng budget sisiguraduhin po natin na meron pong karagdagang pondo ang bawat ahensya na tumutulong po sa ating mga OFWs kasama na rin po dyan ang mga iba pang ahensya tulad po ng TESDA tulad po ng DSWD para makapag-assist po sa ating mga OFWs sa kanilang mga pamilya na nangangailangan pa ho ng tulong dito,” Revilla said.
