MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has increased the sums of cash aid to be given to distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In Department Order No. 5, series of 2024, released on Wednesday, August 14, the DMW increased the financial assistance from the Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo Para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan (Aksyon) Fund to P50,000 to P100,000 depending on the severity of their distress cases.
The amount was previously P30,000 for all types of distressed OFWs, except for those returning from warlike conditions, who received P50,000. Some OFWs were also given double their qualified amount if the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the DMW’s attached agency, disbursed cash aid as well.
The Aksyon Fund is the department’s main source of money for OFWs who endure exploitation, abuse, displacement, injury, death, or other forms of distress. For 2024, the DMW’s allocated budget for the Aksyon Fund is P2.8 billion.
Cash aid for qualified beneficiaries is a one-time grant.
The following are covered by a P50,000 grant in financial assistance:
- OFWs severely affected or displaced due to economic downturn or recession in their host country, bankruptcy of the employer, or retrenchment
- OFWs who are victims of abuses, exploitation, maltreatment, or contract violations
- OFWs who are victims of illegal recruitment or human trafficking
- OFWs who are victims of natural calamities in their host country
- Next of kin of incarcerated OFWs serving their sentence
The following are entitled to P75,000 in aid:
- OFWs with severe or serious illness, injury, or mental health condition
- OFWs who experience abuse or exploitation resulting in physical disability, injuries, or mental health conditions
- OFWs displaced due to war, political unrest, and/or other extraordinary circumstances
- Next of kin of OFWs on death row
The highest cash grant from the Aksyon Fund of P100,000 may be given to deceased OFWs’ next of kin in the following circumstances:
- The OFW passed away in the host country due to natural or accidental causes
- The OFW passed away within one year from arriving in the Philippines
The DMW has often publicized how its Aksyon Fund is spent. It was the source of assistance for OFWs fleeing the crisis in Israel and the Sudan civil war in 2023, for instance.
Apart from immediate cash aid, the Aksyon Fund is also used for medical and other forms of assistance to OFWs, such as repatriation, shipment of human remains, evacuation, and rescue.
‘Slow’ payouts
Like other government assistance programs, the Aksyon Fund requires OFWs to submit requirements to qualify. OFW rights groups have flagged that in their networks, many distressed OFWs and seafarers have complained about the “slow process of getting their claims.”
“Many also say that they are asked for too many requirements, even though all the papers regarding their OFW status are already in the DMW database,” said Migrante Philippines, United Syria Trafficking Survivors, Samahan ng mga Domestic Workers sa Gitnang Silangan, and the Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines in a joint statement in May.
In a chance interview in June, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac explained that the department needs to follow Commission on Audit rules in disbursing the fund.
Cacdac said the basic requirements include proof of being an OFW, and a statement from either the host country’s labor attaché or the local case officer that the OFW was indeed in distress. The DMW’s 2023 order has more detailed procedures for availment.
“It really just takes knowing who the applying OFWs are, and we will act accordingly,” Cacdac said. – Rappler.com