OFWs from WV more than 156,000: OWWA
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration national data show there are 1,422,586 Filipinos currently working abroad.
Of the number, 1,092,162 workers are land-based while 330,424 are sea-based.
In Western Visayas, a total of 156,532 OFWs are registered with the OWWA 6.
A total of 104,670 workers are land-based while 51,862 are sea-based.
Madrid said Iloilo has the highest number of OFWs in the region with 75,468; followed by Negros Occidental, 43,678; Capiz, 13,983; Antique, 10,483; Aklan, 8,650; and Guimaras, 4,270.
Of the figure, 75,932 are female while 80,600 are male.
Based from last year’s record of OWWA 6, the top 10 countries of common destinations are Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Hongkong, Qatar, Singapore, Kuwait, Taiwan, Italy, Canada and Bahrain.
“The same countries are also the common destinations of OFWs for this year,” Samuel Madrid, OWWA 6 regional director, said during a recent press conference in Iloilo City.
Meanwhile, Madrid said OWWA 6 offers reintegration programs for OFWs and their families to ensure that they maximize the gains of overseas employment.
The two components of this reintegration are economic and psycho-social.
Economic component includes social preparation programs for livelihood projects or community-based, income generating projects, skills training and credit facilitation and lending.
Presently, Madrid said OWWA 6 is offering the OWWA-NLSF Livelihood Development Program, Groceria Project, and Filipino Expatriates Livelihood Support Fund.
So far, 21 OFWs have availed of the livelihood program; 38 groups with 834 members are beneficiaries of the Groceria Project; 279 availed of the FELSF.*PNA
