PROTECTION of Filipino migrant workers is already provided by law and remains a matter of implementation, an opposition senator said.

“I read the Overseas Workers Act. It is very detailed. The problem is it is not being implemented. Example is the information-sharing scheme which was not formed. In the case of Ms. [Joanna D.] Demafelis, for instance, almost a year had passed since she was reported missing but no action was taken,” Senator Franklin M. Drilon said in an interview with DZBB on Sunday, Feb. 25.

Mr. Drilon, a former Labor secretary, cited a provision in Republic Act. 8042, the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, “that there should be a sharing of information.”

“Second, what does the government do in order to have a labor agreement especially with countries where we send women as domestic workers?” he added.

The lawmaker suggested that “we should not allow that there would be a labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait and [other] countries in the Middle East,” noting that “the domestic laws of such countries do not cover, most of the time, the protection of our workers.”

Asked whether there is a need for a memorandum of agreement (MoA) extending the protection for OFWs, Mr. Drilon said: “It is already in the law, but it is not followed.”

Mr. Drilon also said it is unnecessary for the government to come up with remedial legislation on the blacklisting of countries seen to have failed protecting OFWs from abuses.

“Hindi kailangan ang batas dahil nasa batas iyan, dahil yung POEA governing board ay may kapangyarihan na ipagbawal ang deployment ng ating mga manggagawa sa ibayong dagat,” Mr. Drilon said. (No need for a law because it is already there. The POEA [Philippine Overseas Employment Administration] governing board has the authority to stop the deployment of our workers overseas.)

He added: “Nasa batas iyan pero hindi ko alam (k)ung nag-meeting itong POEA. Parang hindi.” (It’s in the law, but I don’t know if the POEA meets on this. Apparently not.”

Sought for comment, Migrante International spokesperson Arman N. Hernandez said that a “comprehensive protection” for OFWs is needed,” noting that the deployment ban on OFWs to Kuwait is “not enough help.”

“In protecting the migrant workers, there must (be) an onsite protection; meaning, the government should be active in monitoring the situation of OFWs in the countries where they are deployed. It should not (rely on the) recruiters. The government should be hands-on in protecting them. Along with that is the quick response during emergencies….” he said.

For its part, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) announced last Friday, Feb. 23, its establishment of the OFW Command Center.

“To further enhance the protection and welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Department of Labor and Employment established the OFW Command Center (through Administrative Order No. 73 issued by Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III) to serve as the central referral and action hub for all OFW requests for immediate action and assistance,” DoLE said in a media statement.

“The operation of the Command Center will help ensure that all the concerns of our OFWs are attended to, especially if the incident(s) involving them needed immediate action and assistance,” Mr. Bello said in the statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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