A Call for True and Honest Service of OWWA to OFWs

Petition Update dated 27 February 2008: Mrs. Violeta Panganiban, the wife of the late OFW Roberto Panganiban, received financial assistance and insurance benefit claims from the Overseas Workers Welfare Adminstration (OWWA) last February 20 and 22, 2008, respectively. This information was contained in an email sent by Executive Director Jennifer O. Gonzales of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) to Francis Oca of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The late Panganiban’s case, from the time of his initial call for help in September 2007 up to his death last February 7, 2008, was religiously followed up by Mr. Oca. Mr. Oca, likewise, asked the assistance of COF in requesting OWWA to provide financial assistance and insurance claims to the family of the late OFW.

To:  The Members of the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines

We, overseas Filipino workers and friends worldwide, are not happy with the cold treatment afforded by Administrator Marianito Roque and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), as whole, to the late OFW Roberto E. Panganiban. He approached OWWA to seek help as he was dying of cancer and there Roque was, insisting on the OWWA rule that cancer is not covered by its insurance policy! We remember the same approach the OWWA head gave to the late OFW Jocelyn Dulnuan, the caregiver who was brutally murdered in Canada not too long ago. He also refused assistance then, claiming that the late Dulnuan’s membership to OWWA had already lapsed. We believe that there are other cases of neglect and we do strongly feel that OWWA is not responsive to the needs of all OFWs.

We believe, that in the light of Roque’s insensitiveness, he doesn’t deserve to be looking after the interest of OFWs. We, therefore, demand that he leaves his post.

We demand that the family of the late Panganiban be given, in the soonest time possible, death and burial benefits, whether he was covered or not under OWWA’s policy.

We also demand for OWWA’s restructuring, especially upgrading of its insurance policy, health benefits and other services. We demand that OWWA be not selective in serving the OFWs as we believe that each OFW deserves to be given the best service there is.
Likewise, we demand an audit and a report of the OWWA Fund. We are aware that billions of pesos have already been accumulated in over two decades of OWWA’s existence. We strongly believe that as owners of the fund, OFWs, solely, are entitled to it and have the right to know how and where it is being kept.

Lastly, we demand that the OFWs, through representations taken from their own rank and through some ex-OFWs and non-OFWs they uniformly agree on, should have a voice, and a majority one, in decision making within the OWWA structure.

We will not stop until the OFWs get treated humanely and timely and we will continue to raise our voices to this effect.

Yours,
Concerned OFWs and Friends

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The A Call for True and Honest Service of OWWA to OFWs Petition to The Members of the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines was created by Concerned OFWs and Friends and written by Freda Editha O. Contreras (feocon@yahoo.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.