House urged to probe OFW fees

Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian filed yesterday a resolution calling on the House of Representatives to investigate the government’s reported overcharging of fees from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Gatchalian’s resolution said there was a need to review the guidelines that govern the collection of the fees and “provide an accounting of all excess collections.”

The resolution also called for a refund.

Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) agreed yesterday to reduce the membership fee collected from OFWs by at least P225.

OWWA Administrator Marianito Roque said the board is now finalizing a resolution to lower the exchange rate from P51 to P42 to a dollar.

“We are working on the resolution now, and it is expected to be out in the next two days,” he said.

Based on the new rate, departing OFWs would be paying P1,050.

The resolution’s effectivity and its implementing guidelines are still under discussion, Roque said. Gatchalian said the House probe is aimed at proposing laws to prevent future overcharging of fees.

“(The) collection of fees has imposed additional burden on the OFW already economically hurting from diminished remittance to their families due to the weakened peso,” he said.

“An immediate adjustment of the fees (must be made) relative to the prevailing rate of the peso to a dollar in order to prevent additional hardship on our migrant workers, and mitigate the impact of the dollar depreciation on remittances of our OFWs.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. asked the government to allow departing OFWs to pay the $25 fee in dollars rather than pesos.

“The OWWA should allow departing OFWs to pay $25 fee rather than the floating peso rate, that is worth more than the dollar amount. The OFWs are shortchanged,” he said.

“The government should support, and not exploit, the OFWs.”

Pimentel said the OFWs will be able to save some amount if they pay in dollars due to the continued plunge in the value of the US dollar.

Pimentel said OFWs and their families have lost about P10 for every dollar remitted as a result of the sharp appreciation of the peso.

From more than P52 to the dollar, the exchange rate has now reached about P42 to the dollar, he added.

Pimentel said the government has not taken any concrete step to help the OFWs and their families cushion the adverse impact of the rising peso despite their immense contributions to the national economy.

The OFWs remitted $12 billion last year alone, buoying the peso.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the OWWA have admitted setting the $25 departure fee from OFWs based on a P51-$1 exchange rate. – with Mayen Jaymalin, Christina Mendez