OWWA refutes claims of OFW Lounge closure

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Saturday denied reports circulating online that overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Lounges at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will shut down because of funding problems.

“Reports circulating online that OFW Lounges will be stopped due to lack of budget are false,” the agency said in a statement.

The OWWA reiterated President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s earlier assurance in his State of the Nation Address that the government is committed to strengthening and expanding the lounges, which provide migrant workers with waiting areas and amenities at airports.

The agency confirmed that a new OFW Lounge will soon open at the NAIA Terminal 1, complete with upgraded facilities. Similar lounges are being prepared for Cebu and Clark to widen access for OFWs and their families, it added.

“Our request for additional budget in Congress is precisely to continue upgrading and improving services, expanding facilities, adding new lounges, and sustaining the free food and other amenities that our OFWs deserve,” OWWA said.

The agency also appealed to the public not to spread misinformation that could add to the worries of migrant workers.

“At this time when the world is difficult and our OFWs already carry many burdens, we hope that they will not be weighed down further by fake news. We ask the public to be responsible and trust only official announcements from OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers,” it added.

OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said lawmakers are backing the agency’s efforts. She noted that the House Committee on Appropriations has been “supportive” of a request for additional budget.