Erwin Tulfo vows enhanced protection for OFWs if elected senator

Should he win the senatorial race, ACT CIS party-list Representative Erwin Tulfo said he will file a bill seeking to enhance the protection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), whom he said are often prone to abuse.

Speaking to a Filipino community in Paris, France, Tulfo said that he plans to file a measure, once Congress resumes in June, to strengthen the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLOs) and streamline case-handling by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and embassies.

“We cannot rely solely on the compliance of foreign employers with pre-deployment requirements. The DMW and other related agencies must triple their efforts in ensuring that employment contracts are strictly followed—whatever it takes,” Tulfo, a candidate of administration ticket Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, said in a statement.

“We can no longer settle for the bare minimum when it comes to the rights and welfare of OFWs. This is not just about their livelihood—it is a matter of life and death,” he added.

Cashless toll collection 

Meanwhile, another Alyansa candidate, incumbent Senator Lito Lapid, backs the suspension of the reimplementation of cashless toll collection in all expressways.

He said that it would be better for the Toll Regulatory Board and the toll companies to study how all toll ways could have a single RFID system that would allow a faster and more convenient trip for motorists.

“Sa ating obserbasyon, hindi nagtutugma ang nakakabit na RFID kaya madalas din hindi nababasa ng mga sensor sa toll gates. Marami rin ang insufficient o nauubusan ng load dahil hindi alam kung may balanse pa kapag nag e-exit sa tollways,” Lapid said in a statement. 

(Based on our observation, the RFID often does not match and is not read by the sensors at the toll gates. Many also have insufficient balance or are running out of balance because motorists don’t know if they still have sufficient balance after exiting the tollways.)

“Kaya, napapanahon na maging mas moderno at iisa na lang ang RFID na gagamitin ng mga motorista upang mas episyente at maiwasan na ang aberya sa mga toll gate,” he added.

(It's high time to use a single RFID for motorists so it can be more efficient and avoid malfunctions at toll gates.) — RF, GMA Integrated News

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