MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said Overseas Filipino workers who will be brought back from Ukraine will be given assistance through cash aid, educational assistance, and even through livelihood programs.
“Ang [Department of Labor and Employment] at lalong-lalo na ang OWWA may cash aid na $200 (P10,465) para sa mga OFWs na galing ng Ukraine at napakarami pong assistance,” POEA administrator Bernard Olalia said at the Laging Handa briefing on Monday.
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(The Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration are giving out cash aid worth $200 for OFWs from Ukraine on top of other assistance provided.)
Educational assistance also available
Olalia said OFWs brought home because of the tensions in Ukraine may avail of the educational and livelihood programs of the government, among the other programs.
"Andiyan po yung educational assistance na puwede po ibigay dun sa mga anak ng mga OFWs na galing ng Ukraine, andiyan din po yung livelihood assistance na kung saan puwede po silang magkaroon ng pagsasanay at sila po ay tuturuan ng OWWA at ng mga ahensya po para po kung nais nilang mag-business," Olalia said.
(There’s the educational assistance that may be availed of by the children of the repatriated OFWs from Ukraine, there’s also the livelihood assistance where they can have training sessions and they will be taught by the OWWA and other agencies in case they want to start a business.)
Meanwhile, those looking for employment may also be referred and assisted by the POEA to registered employers in case they want to look for other jobs abroad.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said 225 Filipinos have been repatriated from Ukraine.
According to POEA, nearly all land-based OFWs have been evacuated by the DFA. Olalia said they are working on bringing home over 400 affected seafarers.
"Napauwi na po natin ang mahigit 100 na seafarers po natin at arriving na rin po yung halos 140 natin na seafarers so ang naiiwan nalang po doon ay mga mahigit 200 na kasalukuyan pa pong onboard at inaasikaso natin kung papaano natin sila mai-re-repatriate using humanitarian corridors," Olalia said.
(We already brought home more than 100 seafarers and we have nearly 140 seafarers arriving, so there are over 200 left that are currently onboard and we are already figuring out how to repatriate them via humanitarian corridors.)
The DFA put Ukraine under Alert Level 4 last week, signaling the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Ukraine. Meanwhile, POEA said the deployment ban in Ukraine will be implemented for as long as Ukraine is under Alert Level 4. — Kaycee Valmonte