House ready to fund OFW repatriation, aid families

The House of Representatives is prepared to allocate additional funds for the repatriation of over 100,000 stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amid the coronavirus pandemic.

House Committee on Public Accounts chair Mike Defensor stated that these funds could be included in the proposed Bayanihan 2 bill, which Congress aims to approve next week.

Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has proposed providing PHP100,000 cash aid for the families of 301 OFWs who have died abroad due to the pandemic.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III mentioned that remains of OFWs from Saudi Arabia will be repatriated by July, including those who died from and due to non-Covid-19 causes.