Palace slashes by half legal assistance funds for OFWs in 2011 budget

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has cut by nearly half the legal assistance fund for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the proposed P1.645-trillion national budget for next year.

Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla and Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan raised the issue during deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) at the House of Representatives.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said the fund is used to pay lawyers hired to defend OFWs in jail, especially those charged with serious crimes.

Padilla said the appropriation was cut from P50 million this year to P27 million for 2011, which is just a quarter of the P100-million legal assistance fund required under the Migrant Workers Act.

“These are instances when we can show that congressional insertions are vital and necessary especially for our OFWs. They send us $17 billion in remittances, why should we deprive them of assistance?” he said.

“Are you going to accept this kind of aberration or violation of the law?” House minority leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman asked Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.

Ilagan expressed concern over the increasing number of distressed OFWs and the obvious lack of an efficient mechanism to address their needs amid cuts in the DFA’s budget.

“How exactly is the Department of Foreign Affairs going to cope with the growing needs of distressed migrants abroad?” Ilagan said.

She said an estimated 5,000 OFWs languish in jails, 108 of them on death row, all in need of legal assistance.

There are also several thousands more in need of immediate repatriation after escaping abusive employers.

“That the number of distressed OFWs has grown to such magnitude is an indication that the DFA is acting rather sluggishly on these problems,” Ilagan said.