Bpos BECKON at JOBLESS OVERSEAS WORKERS Amid Labor Slump, Industry Set Photo by Dodong Echavez, IPS SEND OFF

Employment outlook better ahead P4 BPOs BECKON AT JOBLESS OVERSEAS WORKERS Amid labor slump, industry set photo by Dodong Echavez, IPS SEND OFF. Around 300 OFWs who tested negative for COVID-19 are sent home to their respective provinces by government officials led by DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Senator Richard Gordon at the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange to hire thousands of workers (PITX). The swift return of the overseas displaced workers to their families is part of the Duterte Administration’s vow to speed P2 up the repatriation of OFWs to their homes provinces within five days upon their arrival. Also present in the send off was OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac. NEW SYSTEM TO CHECK OFW SNAFUS 'LET'S PAY THEM BACK' Bello calls for prudence in use of OWWA funds THE labor department has said. activated a tracking system According to him the and gov't generosity in attending to OFWs' needs for overseas workers to repatriation tracker will help streamline the deluge make the government more LABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello III rejected billion fund will be reduced to around P10 of workers returning to the responsive and prepared for calls for the use of the trust fund being billion by the end of this year, and that it country due to the pandemic. the arrival of OFWs. managed by the Overseas Workers Welfare could plunge below a billion pesos by the end Called the OFW Assistance “Through this system, Administration (OWWA) to provide for the of 2021 should OFWs continue to be displaced Information System (OASIS), the government can track emergency needs of overseas Filipino workers and repatriated. the locator will facilitate the whereabouts of our that have been displaced by the pandemic. The OWWA has so far spent more than an orderly and smooth returning OFWs and provide “Our OFWs have been sending back more P800 million for repatriation, accommodation, repatriation and assistance for them prompt assistance and than $30 billion a year. Malaki ang naitutulong and cash assistance to COVID-19 affected the huge number of returning relief upon their return to the nila sa ekonomiya natin. Kaya naman, for returning OFWs, Cacdac said. OFWs. country,” Bello said. once, pay back naman tayo. ‘Wag nating Bello said OWWA funds should just be “An oasis symbolizes hope Developed by seasoned galawin yung pera nila,” Bello said. spent more for its members’ needs, such as in a desert of trials. The system crisis management person- The OWWA has asked congress for a P5 livelihood or if they plan to put up businesses that we created aims to give nel from DOLE, the Overseas billion supplemental budget to prolong its and for their children’s education. our OFWs a ray of hope by Workers Welfare Administra- fund’s sustainability as it warned of a “looming “Dapat gobyerno ang magbigay ng pera ensuring that we provide them tion (OWWA) and the Philip- bankruptcy” should it continue to spend for para matiyak natin na lahat ng kailangan efficient and timely assistance pine Overseas Employment the food, accommodation and transportation ng ating mga OFW ay matugunan natin. to ease their anxieties when Administration (POEA), the of repatriated workers beyond 2021. Bakit naman, for the first time na hihingi sila returning home in the midst aim of OASIS is to extend fast At a Senate hearing, OWWA chief Hans ng tulong, nangangailangan sila ng tulong, of this pandemic,” Labor and appropriate government Leo Cacdac said that the agency’s P18.79 P3 Secretary Silvestre Bello III P2 photo by POLO Bahrain photo by NLRC photo by DOLE RO-2 photo by DOLE RO-7 OVERSEAS AGENCIES THE REGIONS GOOD NEWS King of Bahrain Dismissed workers Kiosks turned into From failed waitress pardons 16 Pinoy urged to file 'static' frontliners to promising lawyer convicts P5 complaints online P6 P7 P8 2 June 2020 BPOs beckon at jobless overseas workers THE labor department sees a in order to fill up a large demand in resurgence of employment in the industry. the business process outsourcing IBPAP, which has 300 member (BPO) industry in the country in companies, counts some of the the months ahead even under the biggest industry players in the current pandemic. country. It is the main association Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello of the local BPO industry and III said that the current pandemic its members cumulatively and the resulting global labor employs over 1.3 million Filipino slump will force western countries employees. “to offshore” more jobs in the “In spite of the pandemic, the industry. BPO industry has continued to hire He said that big BPO players Filipino workers,” Untal told the are already posting thousands labor chief during the consultation. of additional seats to fill up The meeting was prompted by their manpower requirements in a recent online survey of a BPO anticipation of this resurgence and employees’ group which reported that a good size of this demand will that four out of 10 BPO workers are potentially go to the Philippines either in floating or ‘no-work-no- particularly Clark, Cebu and Metro pay’ status during the lockdown. Manila. Untal said his group is taking Bello made the observation the initiative to intervene and following consultations with discuss the issues raised by the industry leaders who assured workers with the country heads of him that the BPO industry will concerned BPO companies. photo by IBPAP continue to provide employment DOLE, which has issued opportunities for Filipinos amid several guidelines for employers VIBRANT INDUSTRY. Applicants troop to a job fair recently hosted by the BPO industry. The industry encompasses numerous fields such as contact the pandemic. to protect jobs and prevent center, game development, software outsourcing, health information system, financial and HR shared services, among others. Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by job cuts caused by the global economic slowdown can be trained to become potential workers for outsourcing “They told us that some layoffs and retrenchments, is also companies. big companies have already appealing to the employees, who given job notices for their labor are still on a leave of absence, to This was the result of initial industry, especially in facilitating will be conducted by IBPAP. requirements, one of which needs return to work to help the industry collaboration between the labor “skills matching” between the DOLE intends to launch virtual at least 4,000 seats to be filled up continuously provide services in department and IBPAP to tackle various BPO companies and the job caravans nationwide to widen before September,” Bello said. these difficult times. the issue of how to provide jobs for jobseekers. the reach and breadth of the job Bello’s positive assessment was As this developed, employment returning OFWs and at the same From August to November, search for qualified OFWs. confirmed by Rey Untal, president opportunities in the BPO industry time help fill up the industry’s DOLE will provide the database National Reintegration and chief executive officer of the await overseas Filipino workers demand for workers. of returning OFWs interested, Center for OFWs (NRCO) OIC- IT Business Process Association of which have been displaced by The development bodes well or qualified for call-center jobs Director Roel Martin said that the the Philippines (IBPAP). the pandemic, especially those for OFWs that have been left while the companies will handle partnership between DOLE and the Untal said that BPO companies with backgrounds in information jobless by the pandemic. DOLE career marketing activities, initial IBPAP will help the Reintegration are continuing to hire BPO workers technology and healthcare. will provide full support to the BPO screening, and final job matching continued on page P3 New system to check OFW snafus . from P1 assistance for workers whose will facilitate the institution of fill out the provided form by Dispatch in local work either got suspended and an organized arrival system providing appropriate data and those who lost their jobs abroad. at airports and ports, and the information. The system, run by the DOLE application of an efficient swab They should check the box Command Center, also serves testing, rapid pick up and to certify they have read the send-offs vowed as a reliable database for OFWs transport to their respective form properly, understood its THE labor department has campaign to help all overseas displaced by the pandemic to quarantine hotels or to their contents and is allowing consent vowed dispatch in bringing workers that have been displaced help the government determine homes, etc. in the processing of their data home repatriated overseas abroad by the pandemic and for and immediately provide the The DOLE advises all under the Data Privacy Act of workers following their arrival its relentless effort to contain the kind of support they need inbound OFWs to register 2012. Lastly, click the ‘submit’ in the country to their respective pandemic. once they land at the country’s online through www.oasis. button. home provinces. The senator said he has high airports. owwa.gov.ph. so that they A link will be sent to their At the send-off program for respect for public executives This will include the can be part of the tracking emails to notify that they have some 200 migrant workers at the with so much concern for OFWs. identification and classification system. Once online, they only successfully registered in the Paranaque Integrated Exchange "I know Secretary Bebot. He of the arriving OFWs which have to Click “Register” and OASIS. (PITX), Labor Secretary Silvestre has a big heart for our migrant Bello III said the government will workers," Gordon said. make sure the OFWs reach their The returning workers at the places of origin within three to PITX were part of the 12,000 five days upon their arrival in the migrant workers whose return country.

Load more