Sen. Raffy Tulfo has urged the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and other relevant agencies to screen foreign employers to prevent abuse of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
During the organizational meeting of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers which Tulfo chairs, he said that this would curb cases of “abuses and maltreatment of OFWs.”
Tulfo said OFWs need to undergo thorough screening before deployment to other countries and they also need to submit several requirements and clearance.
However, foreign employers do not submit any records, for example police or court records.
“I hope we can have a proper screening process. We should be strict when it comes to requirements. We should be also like that to foreign employers to make sure that OFWs are safe abroad,” he said.
Tulfo directed his suggestion toDMW Secretary Susan Ople, who was present during the Senate Committee DMW meeting held Wednesday.
Due to the lack of a proper screening process, Tulfo said that some OFWs died at the hands of their abusive employers.
Ople acknowledged the concerns and said that Tulfo’s chairmanship of the Committee on Migrant Workers could help with their system reform agenda.
Tulfo also reiterated the need to establish an effective monitoring system by the Migrant Workers Office in different countries, citing the rampant illegal practice of “selling” migrant
workers who are working without being paid.
“Once the OFW has been deployed abroad, there should be a monitoring system in place,” he said.
“It is the Committee’s duty to recommend and initiate the execution of bilateral agreements with other countries where OFWs are deployed and where such agreements are still lacking, and to review previous or existing agreements which may no longer be compliant with pertinent international labor standards,” Tulfo said.