'Pre-departure seminars for OFWs should be country-specific'

MANILA, Philippines - The Federated Association of Manpower Exporters Inc. (Fedmanex) yesterday asked the government to make the pre-departure orientation seminars (PDOS) for departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) country-specific to help them avoid getting into trouble in their host countries.

In a statement, Fedmanex vice president for marketing Jackson Gan said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) should not hold generalized seminars for departing Filipino workers.

“In country-specific seminars, workers will learn the actual practices and culture in that particular country, not just general knowledge about the region or area where he will be assigned,” Gan said.

He cited the case of an OFW in Saudi Arabia nabbed for carrying 150 pounds of copper in his luggage while exiting the Arab nation.

“(This will) avoid rising cases of theft, murder, adultery and other crimes by Filipinos overseas due to inefficiency and poor performance of organizations holding the PDOS,” he said.

He noted that many OFWs in Taiwan were caught in possession of gold wire stolen from the electronics factory where they work.

To prevent the workers from being jailed, Taiwanese brokers arranged a compromise with the factory owners for restitution and deportation of the workers.

Upon their return to Manila, however, the OFWs sued their Taiwanese employers for illegal dismissal.