On its second anniversary on Saturday, the Department of Migrant Workers welcomed overseas Filipino workers returning home for the New Year holidays at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.

The OFWs were received by DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac, Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, Assistant Secretaries Violeta Illescas and Jerome Pampolina, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Deputy Administrator Honey Quiño and other officials of the department.

Forty-nine distressed overseas Filipino workers and two children from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia arrived via Philippine Airlines flight PR655. The DMW and OWWA provided P50,000 to each OFW while the OWWA shouldered their overnight hotel accommodations as well as transit and transportation arrangements to their respective home provinces.

To address the abuse of Filipino workers, Olalia reported on Friday that the department has established a framework promoting the welfare of the OFWs in Saudi Arabia.

"In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, labor reform initiatives were spearheaded by our former Secretary Toots Ople, aimed at bolstering worker protection and welfare. Undersecretary Caunan and I traveled to Saudi Arabia and established a framework to advocate for fair and ethical recruitment. This framework, known as the whitelisting framework, was put into place by us. In conjunction with the white list framework, we also developed a black list framework that welcomes the participation of employers, agencies, and local recruitment agencies who are qualified, competent, and committed to complying with our ethical guidelines,"

"It is important to note that this is a collaborative effort between KSA and the Philippines. It has been recognized, and we are currently in the process of implementation, resulting in positive outcomes evident in the welfare statistics in KSA," Olalia said.

Cacdac mentioned that the DMW is working with KSA to create more job opportunities for Filipinos, aligning with Saudi Arabia's 2030 economic vision.

"We are anticipating an improved economic climate for 2024. This year, our expectations are higher for openings, especially as we focus on Saudi Arabia, where major development projects align with their vision for 2030. This aligns with our search for United Arab Emirates, which foresees economic development plans," Cacdac said.