Iloilo city: The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of this city has received requests for repatriation from 16 Ilonggos who are working in the Middle East. Iloilo City PESO manager Gab Umadhay, in a phone interview on Wednesday, said the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were advised to be on standby as they still have a meeting with the Department of Migrant Workers on Wednesday for the final repatriation efforts. 'They (Ilonggo OFWs) reached out to us through our group chats. They told us that they were afraid of their situation and they wanted to come home to the Philippines,' he said.
According to Philippines News Agency, Umadhay said they have profiled 803 city residents working in various countries in the Middle East. While the 16 expressed fear because of the situation, the rest claimed that they are generally safe and do not want to come home. The 16 OFWs are working in Qatar (2), United Arab Emirates (2), Bahrain (3), Kuwait (5), and Saudi Arabia (4).
Umadhay mentioned that Mayor Raisa Tre±as has instructed a package of health for all returning migrant workers. 'As of the moment, our financial assistance ranges from PHP10,000 to PHP15,000,' he said. They also prepared a livelihood program, amounting to PHP10,000, PHP15,000, and PHP25,000, depending on the kind of business they would like to pursue. The city government also has free skills training for retooling and an enterprise workshop to develop business behavior. 'We have a lot of programs being readied to ensure the safe reintegration of our migrant workers,' Umadhay said.
Meanwhile, he said they have identified 81 beneficiaries for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment. The short-term employment is provided to immediate relatives of OFWs who cannot remit due to the crisis. The first batch of beneficiaries will have their orientation on Thursday before they start work duty in their respective barangays. Umadhay said they expect to profile more city migrant workers abroad, especially with the red alert status in Dubai, and asked permission from OFWs to share their profiles with the city PESO for appropriate monitoring.