PGMA ordered the secretary of DOLE, Marianito Roque to conduct negotiations with the labor ministry of Hong Kong. The negotiation aims to increase the salary of OFWs in Hong Kong, particularly the domestic helpers. The meeting between Roque and Matthew Cheung, Hong Kong’s Permanent Secretary for Labor and Welfare resulted to a slight increase in the wages of household help from foreign countries. The said increase is expected to be announced and implemented in June of this year. Read more.

DOLE secretary, Marianito Roque contradicted the report that the ban on the deployment of OFWs to Jordan has been lifted. This is in response to an earlier story by the Jordan Times quoting Amjad Weshah, recruitment director of Jordan’s labor ministry claiming that that the Philippine government had removed the ban imposed last January.

However, Roque empasized that OFWs are still not allowed to look for job opportunities in Jordan. According to Roque, “The report about the lifting of the ban “definitely did not come from us. I have not signed any decision yet to lift it.”

Please be informed that text messages are being sent by a certain Ms. Jo-Ann Castilllo to innocent OFWs informing them that they have won a Pangkabuhayan Package for OFWs. Ms. Castillo, who is said to be connected with CF Philippines with office address at Tower I, Room 803, 3264, RCBC Plaza Makati City informs the would-be OFW victim that he/she can claim the package at her office. Ms. Castillo’s contact number is 0919-6565968.

We wish to inform the public that OWWA is not, in one way or the other, connected to the “Pangkabuhayan Package for OFWs”, nor has any knowledge in Ms. Castillo’s offerings or activities.

The OWWA contribution is now PhP1028.925 for the month of April 2008 according to OWWA Resolution No. 38 dated December 17, 2007, series of 2007, which institutionalized a mechanism for the collection of OWWA membership fee on its local currency equivalent. It will benefit OFWs who paid the OWWA membership contribution at the old exchange rate for the period January 1 to December 18, 2007

OWWA contributors during the period will be issued credit memoranda entitling the bearer to an extended OWWA membership for a period of 3 months beyond the two-year maximum entitlement to OWWA’s services. 

Filipino workers who wish to gain employment in Paris will now have an easier time fulfilling their goal. France Ambassador to the Philippines, Gerald Chesnel said, “There will be more OFWs in France because we have also new regulations for migration. If Filipino workers want to come to France, it is easier now.”

France specifically wished to attract Filipinos workers in the following field: electronic, information technology, and health care industries.To formalize the new labor policy, an immigration agreement with the Philippines and France is set to be signed before year 2008 ends. Read more