Capitol gives aid to families of Cebuanos in NZ; OFWs from Libya troop to OWWA

CEBU, Philippines - The provincial government yesterday started distributing the P30,000 financial assistance to the families of Cebuanos who remain missing following the earthquake in New Zealand.

Only Beauty Chua, the wife of Kristoffer Chua, and Emmanuel Amoba, the father of Emmabelle Amoba received the financial assistance yesterday, but Governor Garcia said the families of Rhea Mae Sumalpong of Naga City, Ezra Mae Medalle of Danao City and Jessie Lloyd Redoble of Naga City can go to the Capitol anytime to receive the assistance.

The five are among the 12 Filipinos declared missing following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch City in New Zealand on February 22. They were studying English at King’s Education in Christchurch in preparation for their employment as nurses.

They were on the third floor of the building along Madras Street when the earthquake struck.

“So sad, I really felt for those the two families who were here,” Garcia said, adding, that she will include the five nurses in her prayers. 

Earlier, Garcia said the provincial government was willing to shoulder the expenses for one member of each family to fly to New Zealand, but later changed her mind following reports that the Department of Foreign Affairs would assist the relative of Filipinos declared missing.

Meanwhile, Cebuano evacuees from Libya started trooping the regional office of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to apply for the P10,000 relief assistance offered by the government. The Cebuano workers were forced to leave their jobs in Libya amidst the conflict there.

Raynaldo Jacalan, OIC of Programs and Services of OWWA-7, said there are at least 15 Overseas Filipino Workers from Libya have claimed their P10,000 cash assistance since March 1.

He said OWWA does not have the exact number of Cebuano OFWs who have returned home and merely depends on a list from DFA, which is reportedly not updated.

Records, however, showed that there are about 305 OFWs from Region 7 who worked in Liya. Of this number, 221 are Cebuanos, 42 are from Bohol, 40 are from Negros Oriental and two are from Siquijor.

Despite the assistance he has received from the OWWA office in Manila, Michael Manuel, one of the evacuees, still went to the OWWA office here to inquire if there are other forms of assistance he can avail of.

Manuel said he and his wife have no children, but they are still paying for the money they have loaned to process his papers for Libya where he worked for just two months. He reportedly spent a total of P30,000 to process his papers, P23,000 of which is for placement fee.

He was reportedly earning P19,000 a month at USD2.30 per hour in Libya and his contract was supposed to be for a year. 

Manuel said he would have wanted to avail of OWWA’s loan program, which allows him to borrow up to P200,000 but the same requires a collateral, which he said he would not be able to produce. He asked government to “relax” the policy a bit so that Overseas Filipino Workers like him who were left with no choice, but to leave their jobs can start anew. (FREEMAN)