Annual entertainment for OFWs pushed

MANILA, Philippines - A party-list representative filed a bill seeking to fund annual entertainment for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas, citing the migrant workers' personal sacrifices to provide their families a good life.

OFW Family Party-list Rep. Roy Señeres filed House Bill 3719, known as the Hatid Saya for Overseas Filipino Workers Act.

Under the proposed measure, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in coordination with the Philippine Embassies, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, shall undertake a permanent program of Hatid Saya to OFWs at least once a year.

"The emotional aspect of working overseas will have to be confronted by the overseas Filipino workers such as loneliness, homesickness, culture-shocks experience, living away from loved ones back home for a long period of time, to name a few. Accordingly, we need something to enliven their spirit," Señeres said.

He added that the government needs to bring joy and merriment to our OFWs by staging musical and comedy shows with the participation of Filipino singers, movie stars, comedians and other Filipino entertainers free of charge.

The bill seeks an initial budget of P50 million, and the succeeding allocation will be sourced from DOLE's annual funds.