Park in Brgy. 86, San Jose District on March 14. The city mayor said that with the opening of the Amity
Park, children in the village and nearby areas can now play and enjoy a safer and well-maintained park.
The facility was made possible with the help of the Filipino-Chinese Amity Club Tacloban Chapter.
(ALFRED ROMUALDEZ FACEBOOK)
Amid Middle East tensions
TACLOBAN CITY —The Department of Migrant Workers(DMW) said it continues to monitor the situation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Eastern Visayas in the Middle East, even as no worker from the region has so far requested repatriation despite the ongoing tensions in the area.
Lovely Aissa Velayo-Agliam, DMW-8 officer-in-charge regional director, said their office has not received any formal request for repatriation from OFWs originating from the region.
“Although there are OFWs who have already been repatriated, none of them so far are from Eastern Visayas,” Velayo-Agliam said.
While the office did not mention as to how many OFWs from the region are working in the troubled Middle East, they could easily run into thousands.
Velayo-Agliam noted, however, that the regional office has been receiving inquiries from families in the region asking about the condition of their relatives working in the Middle East, particularly in countries such as Kuwait, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.
She said the DMW has instructed recruitment agencies with deployed workers in these countries to closely monitor the status and welfare of their employees abroad.
The DMW regional head added that their office, together with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration(OWWA), is also extending assistance to OFWs who may be
stranded in the Philippines while waiting to depart for their overseas jobs.
In cases where deployment is temporarily suspended due to the situation abroad, the agency coordinates with recruitment agencies to allow the workers to return to their home
provinces while awaiting further travel clearance.
Meanwhile, Maria Jasmin Andrade, supervising labor and employment officer of DMW-8, said the agency’s 43 overseas posts remain on alert and ready to assist Filipino workers
who may seek repatriation.
She said OFWs from Eastern Visayas who wish to return home may contact the DMW through its hotline, email, or official social media platforms for immediate assistance.
The agency assured that contingency measures are in place should any OFW from
the region request repatriation as the government continues to monitor developments in the Middle East.
ROEL T. AMAZONA
