Gov’t orders search for families of OFWs in typhoon-hit areas

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has ordered the regional offices of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) to help locate families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) coming from areas hit by Typhoon “Pablo” in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The agencies “should prioritize search and rescue in coordination with local government units,” Baldoz said in a statement. “They should identify, provide care, and assist members of families of OFWs who were dislocated and distressed by the typhoon.”

“There is no time to be wasted in the effort because Christmas is coming and we don’t want our OFW families, or any Filipino worker for that matter, to be in a gloomy (situation),” she added.

Owwa Administrator Carmelita Dimzon said she had already relayed Baldoz’s directive to all concerned field offices. She said that the offices were doing an inventory of families just like what they did when Tropical Storm “Sendong” hit the country in 2011.

“As soon as we get a clear picture of how many families were affected and where, we will conduct a welfare mission to bring them food, water, medicines and other basic necessities. We will also provide counseling services,” she said. Tina G. Santos