THE DAVAO City Social Welfare and Development Office-OFW Families Welfare and Crisis Center reported the office is in the move to collect profiles of overseas contract workers.
The OFW-FWCC has yet to determine the total number of OFWs in the city, which delays the monitoring and the provision of assistance, an official said.
“As of now, we don’t have official data, but we are doing initiatives to keep a record of them,” development management officer Jackilou Bandao said.
Bandao said they are strengthening the data profiling initiatives, which started in January through information dissemination in the barangays and full implementation in the second quarter.
“Kung ma profile na ang OFWs of Davao City, makabalo ta pila na, mas dali na ma capture kinsa tong dapat i-contact for tracking and services we can provide for left-behind families,” she added.
The center was established in 2022 through an executive order to cater to both OFWs and their families, offering a range of services including psychosocial intervention, livelihood programs, educational assistance, protective custody, rescue operations.
A financial aid worth ₱5,000 is provided for individuals in crisis situations, however is subject to assessment.
The profiling is in coordination with the partner agencies such as the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for a comprehensive process.
Bandao stressed the distance of far-flung barangays and the wide coverage of the city also a factor for the delay of the data profiling.
With the ongoing tension in the Middle East, the center is dependent on the incoming calls from OFWs and their families through the hotline.
As of Thursday, March 6, around 45 individuals personally asked for help while others were represented by their families to inquire for their status.
These OFWs are from Iran, Qatar, Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, with most of the concerns being their passport being held by their employers.
Bandao said the names and address of the OFWs are collected and coursed through the OWWA and DMW for validation and coordination with employers.
The center provides assistance to left-behind families through social support programs including financial assistance, basic needs assistance including food, while there is a delay in remittances.
Of the number, seven called for possible repatriation, three of which are from Davao City who are working in Kuwait.
The Davao City OFW Families’ Welfare and Crisis Center is closely monitoring the situation overseas in light of the ongoing conflict in some parts of the Middle East.
The Center is ready to assist the left-behind families of Dabawenyo OFWs through 24/7 hotline: 0972 996 6520; Telephone: 082 295 3500; Email Address: ofwcenter.davaocity@gmail.com and Facebook Page: OFW Families’ Welfare and Crisis Center Davao City.
