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NewsTranscript
00:00Still on the situation in Lebanon, we will talk to Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Kakdak. Secretary, good morning.
00:09Good morning to all of you, listeners and viewers.
00:12What can we expect from the OFWs in Lebanon from the Philippine government?
00:19Yes. As Usec Ed said, there have been several months since we started the repatriation effort from Lebanon.
00:29Our President instructed the full-of-government approach in assisting from on-site.
00:36Evacuation, care, and coordinating the needs of the OFWs on-site.
00:45And then in repatriation, together with OWA, Admin Arnel, and then in post-repatriation assistance,
00:51DOH, DSWD, TESDA, DMW, OWA, and DOLE are there to assist the refugees.
00:59Our financial assistance is unprecedented in terms of refugees from war-torn areas, war-like areas such as Lebanon.
01:09As Usec Ed said, there are only 356 refugees and we provided financial assistance of Php75,000 and Php75,000 from DMW and Php75,000 from OWA.
01:24But what about the work of the OFWs?
01:28They are arranging their work facilitation. There are job opportunities in Nakalaan from DOLE.
01:42We also have opportunities for their training.
01:49TESDA is providing certificates, not certificates, but vouchers for those who are returning for their training and the institution they will enter.
02:02We also have job facilitation efforts overseas because most of them have been in Lebanon for a long time.
02:11We can facilitate their job records and job experience for them to have a job in other places.
02:26Secretary, how about our countrymen who want to move to a safer place, but they don't want to go back to the Philippines?
02:35I forgot to mention about the negotiations. There is help in the negotiations.
02:41Okay.
02:42The OWA has a program, including DSWD, SECREX, DTI and the Department of Agriculture.
02:49According to our countrymen, as mentioned by Usec Ed, 11,300. According to the records, we have...
03:02The initial effort is evacuation onsite from the south, up to the middle of the country, to Beirut.
03:14We have prepared shelters there. They can stay there. We will evacuate them as part of their return.
03:24For those who are not yet interested, because we are in a voluntary repatriation mode, they can stay in the shelter.
03:33But of course, having said that, Ambassador Balatpat and the embassy in Beirut clearly called for our countrymen to go home.
03:43They can stay there because of the tension in the region.
03:47Yes. It's good for our government, Secretary, that they won't stop looking for a way to live even if they go home.
03:56Maybe that's what's stopping them.
04:00Yes. We have clear programs.
04:07By the way, we have increased the financial assistance, 50-50, through DMW-OA, 50,000, DMW-OA, 50,000.
04:17We have increased it to 75-75, so 150 total. I forgot to mention it.
04:23But yes, DTI and the Department of Agriculture are already there.
04:27For example, we partnered with Kiko Laurel in their agribusiness programs for those who are returning,
04:34and in the Department of Tourism. We are in Ligtay, Pangasinan for a while.
04:38There are more than 100 graduates of Culinaria in the programs of Secretary Frasco and DOT.
04:45We are very thankful for that.
04:47So there are comprehensive programs for livelihood and employment,
04:52and as I said, free training vouchers given by TESDA.
04:58So their options are comprehensive.
05:00You said that the situation there is getting worse in the next few days.
05:05So the Filipino workers are waiting for work in Lebanon.
05:10We will not go there Secretary?
05:13Yes. It's been a while. We are now alert level three.
05:17Alert level three means it's voluntary repatriation, but alert level three also means no deployment from the Philippines.
05:26But having said that, there are undocumented.
05:31There are refugees from other countries.
05:34We can say that there are refugees who came from our country and somehow ended up in Lebanon.
05:43So we still need help.
05:48Thank you very much DMW Secretary Hans Kakdak. Be careful.
05:52Thank you Igan. God bless.
05:54Igan, for the latest news, subscribe to GMA Integrated News on YouTube.
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