THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) is working on another cash assistance program for active Owwa-registered overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who failed to avail themselves of the ongoing Department of Labor and Employment-Akap for OFWs (DOLE-Akap).
"Aside from Akap, there is also assistance for Owwa active members, meaning yung membership nila is valid mula nung at least February 3. Kung valid pa siya, meron tayong iniisip na assistance para karugtong ng DOLE-Akap (We plan to give cash assistance to OFWs who are active members of Owwa as recent as February 3)," Lionel Bartolome, Owwa-Davao regional director, said in a virtual presser Monday, June 15.
He said the intended beneficiaries will receive P10,000 cash, the same amount distributed in DOLE-Akap.
"The same amount but it is open for Owwa-members na narepatriate galing sa abroad at naiuwi na maaaring hindi nila na-avail yung DOLE-Akap sa abroad or dito (It will be given to OFWs who were not able to avail cash assistance from Akap)," he said.
He added that this will also include allowances for the children of the OFWs affected by the pandemic.
DOLE-Akap is a one-time cash assistance program for displaced land-based and sea-based Filipino workers due to coronavirus diseases (Covid-19).
As of May 26, DOLE-Akap has disbursed some P17.84 million to 1,784 OFWs.
Bartolome said as of June 15, about 3,450 applications from OFWs were approved and are waiting for the cash assistance from DOLE.
He said they continue to evaluate other applications.
He added that some of the OFWs are still willing to work abroad again while others are still in the wait-and-see mode.
Meanwhile, Bartolome also reported that about 2,104 OFWs were assisted back to their provinces in Davao Region as of June 15.