Senate bill to address expanded legal aid for OFs
MANILA – Senate Bill 1448, which seeks to amend Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, has been passed in the Senate.
The bill will accelerate and increase legal assistance for OFWs and overseas Filipinos around the world.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, who filed the bill, said it is time to strengthen legal aid assistance for our countrymen abroad due to the increasing cases of abuse in OFWs.
“To curtail further delay in the use of the Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para mga OFWs na Needs (AKSYON) Fund, the bill will allow the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to delegate the authority to approve an expenditure chargeable to the fund to the head of the post,” Villanueva said in a hearing chaired by the Committee on Migrant Workers.
Senators were surprised by the low acquital rate of cases facing overseas Filipinos around the world, despite the funding for legal assistance.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, from January to June 2022, 1,278 cases facing Filipinos in the Americas, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific have already been decided.
Of these, 946 were found guilty, 332 were found guilty, but they have completed their sentences.
The senators were outraged by the “zero acquital” case won by the DFA’s legal team in the first half of 2022.
Senate Committee on Migrant Workers chairman Sen. Raffy Tulfo said our defense lawyers abroad are ineffective.
The DFA explains that there are about a dozen acquitted each year.
But the senators are not convinced, which is not enough compared to the number of Filipinos who have cases abroad.
The system, some of the Filipinos, have already agreed to out-of-court settlements. But Tulfo and Villanueva said the number of lawyers may not be enough and the evidence gathering may be weak, so Filipinos abroad will lose the case.
Villanueva said the cases of Filipinos in the Middle East must be addressed first. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said the area could be considered a “hotspot” for abuse by OFWs.
“According to OWWA, there are 6,035 cases of maltreatment/mistreatment in the Middle East, while there are only 679 cases in Asia, Europe, and Americas combined,” he said.
The DFA and DMW supported Villanueva’s move. They said the use of the Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) for overseas Filipinos has been arranged.
The DFA explains that there are about a dozen acquitted each year.
But the senators are not convinced, which is not enough compared to the number of Filipinos who have cases abroad.
The system, some of the Filipinos, have already agreed to out-of-court settlements. But Tulfo and Villanueva said the number of lawyers may not be enough and the evidence gathering may be weak, so Filipinos abroad will lose the case.
Villanueva said the cases of Filipinos in the Middle East must be addressed first. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said the area could be considered a “hotspot” for abuse by OFWs.
“According to OWWA, there are 6,035 cases of maltreatment/mistreatment in the Middle East, while there are only 679 cases in Asia, Europe, and Americas combined,” he said.
The DFA and DMW supported Villanueva’s move. They said the use of the Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) for overseas Filipinos has been arranged.
Senator Raffy Tulfo filed Senate Bill No. 1175 or “An Act Encouraging New Lawyer-Scholars to Provide Free Legal Services to Overseas Filipino Workers that will enhance the capacity of DMW to assist OFWs.”
Source: Senate bill tututukan ang expanded legal aid para sa OFs | ABS-CBN News