Tulfo visits OFWs in France

MANILA, Philippines —   Senate committee on migrant workers chairman Sen. Raffy Tulfo visited the Philippine embassy in Paris  to personally meet with overseas Filipino workers based in different parts of France.

In his speech, Tulfo shared his “pasalubong” to the Filipino community which included three bills he is set to file to directly address the needs and welfare of OFWs in different parts of the world and their families in the Philippines.

One of the bills seeks the establishment of a Migrant Workers Relations Commission that will create a special court within the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) for OFWs. This aims to fast-track the resolution of their complaints so that they no longer have to undergo the lengthy processes at the National Labor Relations Commission to obtain justice.

Through another bill, Tulfo is pushing for the creation of one-stop shops for OFWs in every municipality across the Philippines. These centers will make government services, ranging from pre-deployment to reintegration, including family benefits, accessible in a single location, sparing OFWs from long queues at multiple agencies.

Tulfo, in his third bill, seeks to expand the OFW Dependent Scholarship Program from 5,000 to 10,000 slots, while also expanding the coverage from elementary to college education assistance.

“I believe every Filipino abroad deserves access to public service. That is why I will be filing several bills that directly respond to the needs of our OFWs and their families,” he said.

Aside from legislative measures, Tulfo also proposed the establishment of a social hall for Filipinos in France, where they can gather during their days off and special occasions.