DESPITE being pressed for time, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is making sure that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will have a say in the establishment of a separate government agency for their sector.

Speaking at the sectoral consultation on Thursday, August 1, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they want the inputs of the OFWs themselves to be included in the draft bill they will be submitting to Congress.

“We will draft a separate version of the bill. But before we submit it, we want to hear your voice and proposals," Bello told OFW groups that attended the meeting.

"That department is intended for you (OFWs). We should know your inputs and suggestions on this matter so we can balance things properly,” he added.

The labor chief said OFW groups were advised to form a technical working group, which includes representatives from all OFW organizations, for proper consolidation of their inputs and comments on the draft bill.

They were also given a copy of the proposed bill drafted by DOLE and were asked to send their comments and recommendations within two weeks.

Initially, however, Blas Ople Policy Center head Susan Ople warned DOLE against proposing the dissolution of agencies and displacing seasoned officials and personnel, who had specialized in overseas placement and workers’ welfare, through the creation of the proposed Department of OFWs.

In particular, Ople said it is important to maintain the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) as well as their career personnel there.

"The institutional memory and skills of the workers in the POEA and Owwa should be preserved and considered. If we will abolish these agencies, we are wasting valuable years of service of those workers," said Ople.

President Rodrigo Duterte, during his fourth State of the Nation Address, called on Congress to pass a law creating a Department of OFWs.

DOLE, for its part, has also been directed to come up with a draft bill on the establishment of the OFW department.

Duterte has already vowed to rush its creation and have it established by December 2019. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)