ILOILO – Amidst the ongoing Israeli-Hamas hostilities, repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from this province are set to receive a P10,000 financial aid.
Cynthia Parcon-Dario, the Supervising Labor and Employment Officer at the Public Employment Service Office (PESO)-Iloilo, announced that the provincial government intends to extend this financial assistance to any OFW with an active or incomplete contract.
“Due to political unrest and civil wars, they shouldn’t be deprived of work. We are aware of the current strife there, and they fit this criterion, even though their contracts haven’t been completed,” Parcon-Dario said in a Panay News interview.
Ilonggo OFWs have the liberty to utilize the financial support, granted by the provincial administration under the leadership of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., to initiate small enterprises as a sustainable income source.
“The nature of the assistance is at their discretion. It’s an augmentation. Based on the data we’ve compiled, some are channeling it into business startups. We don’t impose stipulations on its use. It’s purely an aid from our provincial administration, facilitated by both Gov. Defensor and PESO-Iloilo chief, Francisco Heler Jr.,” Parcon-Dario emphasized.
Stipulated in Provincial Ordinance 2020-245, the P10,000 financial assistance targets repatriated Ilonggo OFWs who’ve faced job loss due to factors in the host nation like political disturbances, civil discord, natural disasters, mistreatment from foreign employers, or health-related issues.
For the actualization of this ordinance, Defensor has earmarked a P21-million fund. Tracing back, 387 OFWs tapped into this provision in 2021, succeeded by 92 more in 2022, and as of October 16 this year, 127 OFWs have been beneficiaries.
“We persistently inform them about PESO-Iloilo’s various schemes tailored for OFWs,” affirmed Parcon-Dario.
For the worker to avail himself of the assistance, here are the criteria:
1. The applicant must be a bona fide resident of Iloilo province.
2. The applicant must be an active overseas Filipino worker.
What do we mean by active?
A. Filipino citizens employed in a foreign country
B. Who is physically present in a foreign country as a consequence of his employment thereat and his/her salaries/wages must be paid by an employer abroad and not borne by any entity or person in the Philippines
C. He or she is an active member of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
What are the requirements?
* duly accomplished application form
* barangay certificate of residency
* proof of repatriation document from OWWA Region 6
* affidavit of undertaking of not having received any financial and/or credit assistance from host country
* proof of loss of employment, any of the following (certificate of contract, suspension from foreign employers or local manning agency, medical certificate /affidavit of undertaking)
* flight ticket or boarding pass evidencing return to the Philippines or passport with arrival stamp/sticker
* proof of overseas employment any of the following (valid and verified overseas employment contract/OEC/ Residence I.D./Visa/re-entry visa/permit to stay in the host country
How to apply?
* Applicant should download the application form and affidavit of undertaking template from www.iloilo.gov.ph/, www.iloiloprovince.balikbayan.gov.ph/, www.facebook.com/peso.ilo or may obtain from PESO-Iloilo or municipal PESO
* Upon completely securing all documentary requirements, applicants shall upload photos of the documentary requirements online via QR code or Google Form link or found at www.iloilo.gov.ph or www.facebook.com/peso.ilo
* Applicants shall be selected for interview based on the completeness of the documents in online submission on a first-come, first-serve basis.
* Applicants who passed online screening shall receive an appointment schedule from PESO thru text and call. In turn, applicants must reply to acknowledge the message.
* Applicant with appointment shall proceed to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol and submit the required number of copies of documentary requirements for validation and approval.
* Applicant with successful applications can claim their financial assistance within three working days under normal conditions after approval of their application
To note, the provincial ordinance – authored by 3rd District’s Provincial Board member Jason Gonzales – was passed in the third and final reading in December 2020.
“Ini (cash aid) gamay lang nga bulig pero ang tuyo naton nga ma-alleviate ang pangabudlay sang OFWs,” Gonzales earlier said.
He estimated there were around 18,000 repatriated Ilonggo OFWs since the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year.
There are 395 OFWs in Israel from the province of Iloilo, data from OWWA-6 showed./PN
