60 groups join RP program for OFWs in UAE

Over 60 groups have joined the Philippine support program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Members of Filipino groups in Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain in UAE signed up for the OFW program initiated by Philippine Ambassador Grace Princesa.

The program aims to unite all Filipino groups under "Team Bayanihan" that will set up a support system for OFWs and their families in the Philippines.

“I hope to federate this and re-establish the
 United Filipino Associations of the Emirates (UFAE), or something similar to that," Princesa said in an article on UAE-based news site Khaleej Times.

Princesa has partnered with government and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide training on financial literacy to 30 select migrant leaders.

In turn, the migrant leaders will train their group members about the culture of saving and making good investments.

A plan is also underway to collect data to determine the extent of debt Filipinos get into in the UAE. The OFWs and their families will be educated on the negative effects of dependency and consumerism.

“Hopefully, this will reduce the number of those being jailed due to credit card and bank loans,"
said Princesa.

She said the Philippines is the among the top five labor origin countries, "so we have to look into the rights and privileges of our workers."

At present, she said she is studying the issues faced by undocumented workers, like those who abscond.

The Khaleej Times report said 60 percent of Filipino workers in the UAE are professionals. “Of the unskilled workers, around five percent are domestic helpers and 90 percent of our problems are associated with them. This is what we’re looking into," Princesa said.

Another cause of concern is illegal recruitment. Princesa plans to document the origins of the victims and carry out a massive information drive against illegal recruitment.

Princesa will also focus on the migration of women, as 50 to 60 percent of the OFWs in the Middle East are women.

She said she is documenting their educational streams to reconnect them to their professions once they’re back home.

She also plans to promote the "Buy or Wear Pinoy, Help a Pinay" program, encouraging the use of abaca, of which the Philippines is the world's top producer, and the banana or pineapple fiber textile.

“Once we stimulate development, women back home can start their micro-enterprise and they won’t have to come here for a paltry $200 (Dh750)," she said. –VVP, GMANews.TV, Article posted August 05, 2010 - 09:42 AM