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President Duterte Welcomes Repatriated OFWs During His Arrival From Middle East State Visit, April 2017
If you have some back wages or other monetary benefits that is pending, you can actually go to the DFA to request for assistance in collecting them. The Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs is in charge of providing assistance to nationals (ATN) and legal assistance in coordination with relevant government agencies. They are mandated to provide assistance to distressed OFWs as well as repatriated OFWs. So if you have a claim to unpaid salaries or other benefits, or need legal assistance, here's what you need to do:
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1. Inform OUMWA of any request for assistance through letters, telephone calls or visits to OUMWA’s office by your relatives. Requests for assistance can also be endorsed by government officials, from Congressmen and Senators, to local government officials. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as the media may also endorse such request.
2. Requests should include the following details, as applicable:
- Name of the OFW
- Address and contact number of the OFW
- Address and contact number of the employer
- Address and contact number of the foreign and/or local agency
- The specific reason for the request
3. If the request is about monetary compensation, unpaid wages or end of service benefits, the computation for the amount will be based on the host country's labor laws. An OFW who will be leaving behind his claim may need to execute a Special Power of Attorney to allow appointed Saudi lawyers to continue pursuing claims for unpaid wages and benefits on behalf of the OFWs after the OFWs are repatriated back to the Philippines. The same may be done by a former OFW who is already in the Philippines.
4. If the request is about end of service and unpaid wages for a deceased OFW, the OUMWA will coordinate with the host country via the Philippine Embassy there. Following the procedures and labor laws of the host country, the Embassy will process both the repatriation of the deceased, as well as facilitate the claims for the benefits.
5. Once all process is complete, the Philippine Embassy will receive the payment of the benefits and make necessary arrangements to forward the money to the account of the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) where the OFW of his/her legal beneficiaries can collect benefits. The OUMWA will require documentary proof for establishing the identification and relations of the beneficiaries.
5. Once all process is complete, the Philippine Embassy will receive the payment of the benefits and make necessary arrangements to forward the money to the account of the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) where the OFW of his/her legal beneficiaries can collect benefits. The OUMWA will require documentary proof for establishing the identification and relations of the beneficiaries.
The following reasons may cause delay in processing or releasing claims:
1. OFWs using substitute names in their passport
2. illegal and undocumented workers
3. multiple marriages
4. illegitimate children
5. family disputes
6. incomplete documentary requirements
7. no identified beneficiary
8. discrepancies and inconsistencies between records
9. failure to reach an amicable settlement among the adverse claimants
10. unknown/untraceable whereabouts of the beneficiaries 11. failure of the recipients outside Metro Manila to readily open a bank account due to fund various reasons
DOLE Sec. Bello answers a call on DOLE's 24/7 hotline for labor concerns pic.twitter.com/LVkvOck064— Rie Takumi (@rie_takumi) September 6, 2016
The OUMWA may be reached through the following ways:
sources: DFA FB Page, DFA, GMA
OFFICE OF THE UNDERSECRETARY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS AFFAIRS
Atty. Sarah Arriola
Hotline: (+632) 834-4996
Assistance for death benefits: (+632) 834-3229
Fax number: (+632) 551-0847
e-mail address: oumwa@dfa.gov.ph, oumwa.database@gmail.com
The OUMWA Office is found in DFA Main Office in Pasay, 3rd Floor
sources: DFA FB Page, DFA, GMA
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