DMW assures OFWs going home from Lebanon of job opportunities

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday said job opportunities are awaiting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Lebanon who will return to the Philippines amid the rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah militants. 

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said government agencies like the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) offer post-repatriation assistance to OFWs coming home from conflict areas like Lebanon.

“Merong pagsasaayos ng trabaho nila, facilitation. Merong mga job opportunities na nakalaan mula sa DOLE. Meron ding mga opportunities sa kanila sa pagsasanay. Ang TESDA nandoon, nagbibigay ng mga . . . vouchers para makapili ‘yung mga nanunumbalik ng kurso sa pagsasanay at institusyon na papasukan nila,” he said in an Unang Balita interview. 

(We will help in the facilitation of their jobs. There are job opportunities available from DOLE. There are also opportunities for them in training from TESDA. They will be given vouchers so they can choose a training course and institution that they can attend.) 

Cacdac said they also offer job facilitation overseas, where the OFWs’ job records and experience will be checked so they can work in another country. 

“Meron ring tulong sa pagnenegosyo. Ang DMW at OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) may programa, pati ang DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) at siyempre ang DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) at Department of Agriculture,” he added. 

(We also help them start up a business. The DMW and OWWA have programs, as well as the DSWD, DTI, and Department of Agriculture.) 

Aside from these, Cacdac said returning OFWs will be receiving financial assistance from the government. 

So far, a total of 356 Filipinos have been repatriated from Lebanon.  There are more than 11,000 Filipinos in the Middle Eastern country, some of whom are undocumented.

The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon on Friday night (PH time) issued an advisory to Filipino citizens for them to leave Lebanon immediately while the airport is still open.

Those who are unable to leave Lebanon were urged by the Embassy to evacuate to safer areas outside of Beirut, South Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley instead. —KBK, GMA Integrated News