LUCENA CITY – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the local governments of Quezon province have embarked on a joint undertaking that stands to benefit overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The statement came after OWWA officials and representatives of local government units, including Lucena City, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Monday here.
The MOA stipulated that the OWWA shall assign a focal person to coordinate with the LGUs, provide training for the assigned focal person, and shall assist the LGUs in the identification and planning of specific local projects.
For their part, the LGUs shall assign a focal person to coordinate with OWWA; assist in the provision of appropriate assistance to the OFWs and their families in coordination with OWWA; provide an office/desk for OFW concerns; and allow OWWA to access/use its billboards/public information boards for its advocacy and information dissemination campaigns.
In her speech as guest of honor, Emma Sinclair, OWWA Deputy Administrator for Administration and Fund Management, expressed gratitude to the local governments for putting up an OFWs help desk in their respective municipalities.
"I really hope this MOA will be a working MOA because currently, we are competing with other countries we call sending parties (also sending their labor force to other countries) and we are facing complexities in coordination with other nations," she said.
Sinclair acknowledged the OFWs' unfailing contribution as economic drivers by their remittances, adding that with the help desk, she hopes to render services to OFWs and their families even those who live in the farthest municipalities.
Governor Angelina Tan and Lucena Mayor Mark Alcala said that even before this MOA, they have assigned a help desk inside the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) to accommodate concerns raised by OFWs and their families.
Majority of the mayors of the 39 municipalities and two cities of Quezon province were present and signed the 10-page MOA. (PNA)
