The son of a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is appealing for help after his father’s brain surgery left them with an enormous amount of hospital bills.

On Tuesday, during DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Usapang OFW, Mark Manongsong, son of 63-year-old Joselito Estrecho Manongsong, said their hospital expenses have reached AED 153,000 after his father suffered a stroke that required urgent surgery.

“They saw in the CT scan that there was a blockage in his veins in the head, and the brain was already being compressed, so he had to undergo surgery,” Mark said.

Joselito had worked for 14 years as an industrial machine sales technician in a construction company in the UAE, eventually becoming a resident and bringing his son to live with him. However, due to a travel ban stemming from a credit card debt, he was unable to return to the Philippines.

The debt arose after his company failed to release his end-of-service benefits worth AED 10,750 when he resigned. Despite a Dubai court ruling in Joselito’s favor three years ago, the benefits remain unpaid.

Seeking financial assistance, Mark went to the Philippine Embassy in the UAE, where he was referred to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). OWWA representatives informed him that their role is limited to repatriation.

“They told me at OWWA that the help they could offer was repatriation, but for him to be repatriated, there must be no travel ban. I understand that, because that is the rule,” he said.

However, under Republic Act 10801 or the Overseas Workers Welfare Act, OWWA’s mandate goes beyond repatriation. It includes health care, death and disability benefits, among others. OWWA may also extend certain programs even to non-members.

He was then endorsed to the Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) team and the legal division but was left waiting until 2 PM and had to leave by mid-afternoon to relieve the person watching over his father.

The ATN, originally under the Department of Foreign Affairs and transferred to the Department of Migrant Workers in 2023 under Republic Act 11641, is tasked with handling cases that extend beyond repatriation, including medical assistance.