Wednesday, December 06, 2006 Capillas: A substantial program By Stephen Capillas The Lowdown
THE regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 10 announced yesterday the celebration of its 73rd anniversary with the theme "Masiglang serbisyo alay namin sa inyo ("Active service we dedicate to you" is roughly the literal English translation) and much had been discussed during Tuesday's forum emceed by Cagayan de Oro Press Club President (COPC) Uriel Quilinguing in cooperation with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 10.
One of the topics of interest that had been discussed is the livelihood loan program by the Overseas Workers Welfare Association (Owwa) that was raised by local media practitioner Myrna Eblacas, which had been deferred recently by the national government owing to the non-payment of loans by overseas contract workers (OCWs).
According to one of the Owwa reps, the livelihood loan program is divided into two components, namely the active OFWs and the returning/inactive OFWs.
The amount to be loaned was pegged at P200,000 but as earlier mentioned the program was deferred since there were OFWs who failed to settle their loans with the OWWA and its partner agencies like the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
It would have been useful if the program was heavily promoted by the Dole, Owwa and other partner agencies if only to avoid the non-payment or slow payment of the OFWs. It had not been explained during the forum whether these are OFWs here in Cagayan de Oro or elsewhere in Region 10 or are OFWs from Luzon, Visayas and other parts of Mindanao.
The same Owwa rep said they tried to partner with one cooperative, which balked at the low interest rates to be offered under the livelihood loan program. This development is a shame considering the amount of help and returns the national and local governments can expect from the OFWs.
The OFWs have generated substantial revenue that kept this country afloat and the livelihood program is one way for these OFWs to invest more in their country while making substantial earnings for themselves and ensuring their future and the futures of their families at the same time.
The livelihood program solves two problems, namely income generation and employment which local government units (LGUs) in the provinces are trying to encourage.
We could only hope that the city government and the provincial government here can draft a similar program for its own city residents perhaps in cooperation with Owwa and other concerned agencies.
That way the incomes sent by the OFWs from Cagayan de Oro and those coming from parts in Misamis Oriental can help in their own small way their families and their compatriots in the city. Perhaps our city and provincial officials can think of something to this effect.
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