Vice President Jejomar C. Binay urged Filipino workers abroad to file complaints against embassy staff who have committed acts of abuse, negligence or illegal recruitment.

            Binay, Presidential Adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ affairs (OFW), vowed his office will see to it that the reports will be given due action immediately.

            “I encourage those who know of any abuse or mistreatment inflicted on our OFWs to report these cases to me so my office could extend them the needed assistance,” the Vice President said.

            Binay was responding to allegations that three labor officials in Syria, Jordan and Kuwait sexually abused distressed female OFWs in exchange for free flights back to the Philippines.

            “The Aquino administration cares for our OFWs and as OFW adviser, I will make sure that our government will keep them safe from any form abuse or exploitation,” he said.

            “I will also make sure that those who take advantage of our OFWs will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.

            In 2012, the Office of the Vice President acted on 1,325 requests for assistance from OFWs and their families.

            These requests ranged from repatriation, assistance on salary and benefits claims, legal assistance for detained OFWs, and grievances against recruiters and agents.

            Meanwhile, Binay led the launch of the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) OFW Center which is envisioned to be a one-stop shop for OFW-related services and transactions.

            The center will serve as a venue for Pre-departure Orientation Seminars (PDOS) and Financial Literacy briefings, as well as the issuance of the Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) for returning OFWs.

            “Ang Pag-IBIG OFW Center ay ang aming regalo para sa ating mga kababayan na sinubukan na makipagsapalaran sa dayuhang bansa upang mabigyan ng magadang buhay ang kanilang pamilya at sa kalaunan ay malaki ang naitutulong sa pag-unlad ng ekonomiya ng ating bansa,” Binay said.

            “The establishment of the Center aims to increase the level of appreciation among OFWs, and to institutionalize Pag-IBIG as an ‘OFW agency’ alongside OWWA and POEA,” he added.

            According to Binay, Pag-IBIG has a current membership base of almost 2.7 million OFWs. Because of this, they saw the need to strengthen its operations by providing an integrated, aligned and seamless delivery of services and benefits to OFWs across all Pag-IBIG offices.

            “Despite the regional distribution of OFWs and the decentralized functions of partner-government agencies, about 80 percent of them still conduct their deployment-related transactions at the National Capital Region,” Binay said.