MANILA, Philippines—The government’s livelihood fund for overseas Filipino workers who could lose their jobs amid the global economic crisis has been increased four-fold to P1 billion, according to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Speaking before Filipinos in Bahrain on Tuesday, Ms Arroyo said that the government had drawn up a “reciprocity program” or “payback” package for overseas workers who would be laid off.

“The first part is the expatriate livelihood support fund in the amount of P1 billion, which will be funded by the OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) and supported by government lending institutions, such as Development Bank of the Philippines and Landbank,” she said in her speech.

The fund, originally pegged at P250 million, could be used to provide loans for returning workers who want to acquire new skills, undergo retraining or start a business.

“Our efforts include setting up retraining programs in the Philippines, for call center agents, welders, bakers, and chefs,” she said.

Ms Arroyo has instructed Labor Secretary Marianito Roque to draw simple and clear guidelines for the implementation of the fund.

“I told him that returning expatriates should not be burdened by red tape,” she said.

Contingency measures

The government has been preparing contingency measures for at least 50,000 overseas workers who could lose their jobs as foreign companies cut down payrolls, shut down or merge with others.

An alliance of overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East on Wednesday called on the retrenched OFWs back in the Philippines to avail of the livelihood support fund.

“The livelihood assistance program was made possible because of our strong demand and continued campaign to provide relief to laid off OFWs and their families,” John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-ME East regional coordinator, said in an e-mailed statement from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Monterona said part of the money came from the OFWs’ contributions ($25 each) to the OWWA.

Help desks

All laid off OFWs, Monterona said, should enlist themselves and “actively pursue” other benefits at OWWA and the Department of Labor and Employment.

The second part of the program is for the government to help expatriates find related jobs in the country with the setting up of “help desks” in every province, Ms Arroyo said.

“We match the jobseeker with the job,” she said. “There is also online information about job openings that could be accessed at www.phil-job.net.”

Saudi business mission

The President said the government could fund the programs because “the Philippines remains an island of stability in an otherwise stormy global sea of economic troubles.”

Saudi King Abdullah has committed to send a high-level business mission to Manila to “look for investment opportunities” in the agriculture sector, Malacañang said in a statement.

Ms Arroyo arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday from Riyadh, where she announced that the government, through the Professional Regulations Committee (PRC), would hold licensure examinations for workers in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong “to prepare them for skilled jobs that command higher salaries.”

Salesladies

Bahrain is in need of more Filipinos, particularly those who want to work as salesladies in its shopping malls, according to Ms Arroyo.

In a statement, Ms Arroyo said Bahraini Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Salman al Khalifa had informed her that Bahrain needed more salesladies, preferably Filipinos.

“Many of our countrymen are losing their jobs in different countries amid the global economic crisis. But I want to tell you that there are many job offers. That’s why remittances of OFWs went up by 13 percent,” she said.

She said the Prime Minister of Bahrain has assured her that the jobs of OFWs there were “safe.”

There are 45,000 Filipino workers in Bahrain.

She made a similar presentation to Filipinos in Saudi Arabia (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view/20090203-187201/Arroyo-Saudi-OFWs-jobs-safe) the day before.

From Bahrain, Ms Arroyo is set to fly to Washington to attend the Feb. 6 National Breakfast, where she would likely meet President Barack Obama, the event’s guest speaker. Reports from TJ Burgonio and Jerome Aning, and Joel Guinto, INQUIRER.net