Skip to main content

OWWA assists repatriated Ilocano OFWs from Libya

By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter

Laoag City—The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) continues to extend assistance to repatriated overseas Filipino workers from war-torn Libya as they also urge all other Filipinos to come home as soon as possible.

Nona Marie Ganal, Ilocos Norte OWWA representative, said another OFW who preferred not to be identified arrived home safely in the province before the current crisis in Libya was upgraded to alert level 4.

With an initial airport assistance from OWWA, the OFW from Batac City voluntarily left Libya.

OWWA is extending all forms of assistance to repatriated Filipino workers from Libya and Iraq. Among the assistance given is the reintegration program for all OFWs, providing them livelihood starter kits to start a new life in the country.

However, Ms. Ganal said most of the repatriated workers want to go back abroad. Hence, they are seeking re-employment but in a safer place.

According to Ms. Ganal, they are monitoring more Ilocano workers from Libya. One of them is from Dingras, Ilocos Norte who is set to go home anytime on the first week of August.

Earlier, a registered nurse from Pinili and a factory worker from San Nicolas were poised to leave for Libya but this was halted by the ban imposed by the government.

“Should they want to avail the OFW program, we would be glad to help them,” Ms. Ganal said.

Under the “Balik-Pinas Balik-Hanapbuhay” project in cooperation with the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NCRO), the government is readying livelihood and job referral assistance, temporary shelter, medical care and counseling for the concerned OFWs.

The OWWA—together with the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), licensed recruitment agencies, and their insurance carriers— focus on ensuring that OFWs affected by instability and political upheavals should be brought home fast, safe and sound.

Earlier, the government organized a Crisis Quick Response Team led by the POEA in coordinating for the issuance of airline tickets to the OFWs within 24 hours. 


The team was created when the current crisis in Libya erupted and is tasked to closely monitor and assess the situation of Filipino workers there and in other crises-hit countries.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua

PIDS expert says income tax cuts justified; warns gov’t of revenue loss

Proposals to amend the personal income tax schedule appear to be well-justified. However, these proposals should include measures that will allow government to recover the revenue loss from lower income taxes. Dr. Rosario Manasan, senior research fellow of state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said at a seminar sponsored by the Philippine Senate, that government should look for new revenue measures to compensate for the projected revenue loss that will arise as a result of the implementation of any of the various proposals to restructure the personal income tax. Currently, there are several income tax reform proposals pending in both houses of Congress. All of them, according to Dr. Manasan, have the same objective of addressing the phenomenon of bracket creep, which results from “non-indexation to inflation of personal income tax brackets”. Simply put, bracket creep occurs when employees’ income increases over time as a result of inflation. Th

PGIN honors Ilocano heroes of past, present through Heroes Walk

SPO1 Allan Lampitoc Franco of Banna, Ilocos Norte and PO2 Jovalyn D. Lozano of Adams, Ilocos Norte receive a resolution of commendation, a certificate of college scholarship grant to their family members and a P20,000 cash incentive each from the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte represented by Governor Imee R. Marcos and Vice Governor Angelo M. Barba in recognition of their bravery and heroic acts in the Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao on January 25. Mr. Franco and Mr. Lozano were recognized on March 10 in time for the unveiling of the second batch of Ilocano heroes at the Heroes Walk located along the Sirib Mile in Laoag City.  (Lei Adriano) By Jennifer T. Pambid PGIN-CMO In honor of the heroes who brought freedom, fame and glory to the province as well as to the country in the past century, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) through the Education Department and Sirib Youth Office launched the second batch of Ilocano Heroes Walk on March 10, 2015.