Region 8 honors migrant workers on June 7

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
June 7, 2010

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Region 8 spearheads this year’s Migrant Workers Day celebration which is dubbed as “Araw ng Pasasalamat.”

Hundreds of Overseas Filipino Workers and their respective families throughout Region 8 joined the motorcade from the Capitol Grounds to the Robinson’s Place Tacloban in the morning of June 7.

The whole day program which is aimed at honoring the migrant workers in the Region started at 10:00 o’clock in the morning up to 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon. The activity carried the theme: “OFWs: Tagumpay sa Hamon ng Panahon, Kaagapay sa Pagsulong.”

The whole day activity promises to be a day of fun with games and big raffle prizes for the OFWs and their families, a way of saying thank you to their contributions and achievements, OIC Tan said.

OWWA 8 Director Juliet Tan said it is but fitting to give a gesture of salutation to the Overseas Filipino workers who has been hailed as the country's news heroes, remitting billions of dollars annually and helping prop up the national economy.

The activity is aimed at paying tribute and giving recognition to the OFWs' contributions and achievements that raised the status and respect for the country.

Awards will also be presented to the Outstanding Overseas Filipino Workers both land-based and Sea-based. Another award will be presented to a physically and financially challenged OFW and to the Most Senior Surviving OFW in attendance, Ms. Tan added.

OFW participants will have the chance to win surprise, major prizes, giveaways and freebies from corporate sponsors. They are requested to bring along documents as proof of OWWA membership.

Remittances from overseas Filipino workers climbed to $1.4 billion in December, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported.

The latest figure took remittances in the whole of 2008 to $16.4 billion, up by 13.7 percent from 2007 and above the BSP's growth forecast of 13 percent or $16.3 billion for the year.

Money sent home by Filipinos abroad amounted to $4.339 billion in the first quarter, up by 7 percent from a year earlier, as demand for skilled and professional Filipino workers continued to rise.

Total remittances in March alone amounted to $1.55 billion, or 5.6 percent more than the $1.427 billion recorded in March 2009, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Monday, noting the situation in global employment opportunities has improved in recent months.

The amount of money sent home by Filipinos abroad in March was the second highest monthly remittance level after the $1.567 billion posted in December.

BSP Gov. Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said remittances by overseas Filipinos coursed through banks were $282 million higher than the $4.057 billion registered in the first three months of 2009.

About 81 percent of the remittances reported by local banks came from the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Prospects for global deployment of overseas Filipino workers remain positive, especially as employment opportunities are expected to rise along with clearer signs of global economic recovery," the BSP chief said.