INCOMING Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople wants the deployment process for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) eased and hastened, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) head Bernard Olalia said yesterday.
Olalila said this was the marching order of Ople days during their meetings.
“What she told us in our meetings in the past days is to hasten the process of deploying our OFWs. This is one of her marching orders to us,” said Olalia in a televised public briefing.
He said this is the reason why they have immediately visited their existing processes in OFW deployment and is now assessing how to improve their ease of doing business policy.
“In the coming days, especially once the secretary of DMW takes office, expect that there will be changes,” said Olalia.
Ople takes over as DMW secretary on July 1.
But while the POEA is keen on hastening its services and processes, the labor official said they are taking it gradually as far as the transition to the DMW is concerned because the transition from POEA to the new department must be done seamlessly and not drastically.
“While transitioning, it is important that our services as well as those of other agencies involved won’t be affected. It is important that our OFWs won’t be affected by the transition,” said Olalia.
He said this is the reason why all agencies forming the Transition Committee are carefully deliberating every aspect of their operations, including budget, personnel, assets, among others.
Aside from the POEA, agencies set to merge under DMW are the Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA), Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs), International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB), National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), and National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will be an attached agency.
“Once our team in the DMW is complete, only then will the agencies involved will slowly be dissolved,” said Olalia.
