By Bea Rollo
(January 19, 2025) – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Saturday that they are requesting the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to exclude the implementation of its financial aid to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the election spending ban.
DMW Sec. Hans Leo Cacdac explained that the agency must promptly respond to distress calls from overseas workers, even during election periods.
“Emergency na iyon. Kailangan na iyon ng OFWs natin. So, we seek exemption from the COMELEC,” he said.
COMELEC Resolution 11060 requires a certificate of exemption for the implementation of activities and programs during the spending ban, which runs from March 28 to May 11.
Recently, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was granted exemptions for 28 programs under strict conditions, including prohibiting the presence of candidates during distributions.
Cacdac emphasized that immediate deployment of staff and other emergency actions cannot be delayed due to the spending ban.
He also highlighted the DMW’s partnership with COMELEC to encourage migrant workers to participate in the May 12 elections.
Moreover, Cacdac assured that the government is assisting the family of Jenny Alvarado, an OFW who died from coal smoke inhalation in Kuwait earlier last Jan. 2.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), led by Arnell Ignacio, is already coordinating with her family.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted an autopsy on Alvarado’s remains last Friday. Authorities are not ruling out the possibility foul play.
Meanwhile, Philippine lawyers in Kuwait are looking into potential liabilities of the service provider after a different body was erroneously repatriated last Jan. 14.
(AAD)
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