According to AKO OFW vice-chairman for Middle East Affairs Joseph Timothy Rivera, “the project is similar to the British and Irish traditional system of "parliamentary surgeries" wherein members of parliament (MPs) make themselves available to their constituencies onsite to hear and discuss the urgent concerns of their people from simple consultations, request for referrals to various government offices, complaints and critical discussions in aid of legislation”.
This is one of the key legislative agendas of AKO OFW’s party list wing, which has more than 250,000 members around the world, said Rivera, who made the announcement on the sidelines of a manifesto-signing ceremony between AKO OFW and the Bagong Bayan Movement People’s International Co-ordinating Council (BBM-PICC) held in Doha recently.
During the signing ceremony, Rivera represented AKO OFW founding chairman Dr Celerino Umandap and national president Marcia Sadicon. He was joined by BBM-PICC national chairman Rudy Buhungan and Qatar chapter president Maricar Pasigue, as well as AKO OFW Qatar chapter president Mary Jill Lluz, Maharlika Pilipinas chairman Gie Sinaon, Maharlika Pilipinas president Rey Salas and select Filipino community leaders in Qatar.
Once the project is implemented, Qatar will serve as the location of the first satellite office to implement such a programme given its strategic location in the Middle East where Rivera is the party list’s first overseas-based congressional representative.
Aside from its “favourable geographic setting”, Rivera noted that Qatar has a “tactical position” as an international travel hub with technologically-advanced and modern infrastructure, compliant labour laws, and holds the reputation of being “the beacon of press freedom and peace within the Arab region, which is home to one of the largest expat Filipino communities in the world”.
Rivera said the initiative would “improve and not just simply augment the efficiency of the current overseas missions of the Philippine government”, such as the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs under the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Overseas Labour Office under the Overseas Worker’s Welfare Administration, the Department of Labour and Employment and the Office of National Social Welfare Attaché of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which are now being merged with the newly created Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
“Once enacted, this initiative would enable the services of country’s legislative branch of government to be more accessible to migrant workers in terms of policymaking, welfare development and congressional oversight that would enhance and supplement the ministerial duties and functions of the DMW,” Rivera said.
In a special message via Zoom, Sadicon added: “Being based in Doha where active OFWs are, AKO OFW will also bring the Human Settlement Commission housing programmes nearer to our OFWs in the Middle East so that Filipino expat workers can apply for social housing back home while working abroad.”
