OFWs won't withhold remittances - OWWA

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration yesterday assured that overseas Filipino workers will not resort to freezing the remittances to their families here to pressure President Gloria Arroyo to resign from office.

OWWA regional director Mae Codilla said she heard no feedback that OFWs from Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Italy are planning to boycott their remittances, in contrast to the claims of a group that freezing these remittances is already gaining support among OFWs.

Codilla found it rather ridiculous to believe that OFWs would let their families suffer from zero remittances.

Earlier, a radical leftist group tried swaying OFWs to join in the "remittance boycott" campaign meant to paralyze the economy and force Arroyo to step down.

The Department of Labor and Employment quickly downplayed this reported attempt saying that remittances have been primarily to support the OFWs' families and were never meant for political ends.

The recent figures might even raise the total OFW remittances to as high as US$5-billion by yearend, said the BSP.

Labor officials said it is very far from impossible that OFWs will stop sending money to their families here.

Codilla also explained that she does not know how the OFWs could boycott remittances if they would not send money through banks.





Codilla said it is the prerogative of the OFWs to stop their remittances but it contradicts the purpose of their working abroad.