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Talakayan for OFW issues
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Posted on Oct 20 2006
Filipino organizations are planning to hold a [I]Talakayan[/I] or a forum to tackle the different issues affecting the overseas Filipino community.
Boy Ching, president of radio group MDX, said his group is working with the University of the Philippines Alumni Association on the project.
Based on the initial plan, the forum would include officials from the Philippine Consulate General to answer questions on issues ranging from OFW benefits and welfare, to dual citizenship, mixed marriages, and the like.
“There are many people who are not clear with issues, even the basic ones such as who are the OFWs? Does it include other Filipinos who live abroad? There are gray areas we’d like to address, like in cases of mixed marriages. Can your spouse get citizenship in the Philippines? How about the children? How do you go about it? It’s good to discuss these issues because people ask about these things,” said Ching.
He said the forum could also be an opportunity to clarify other matters. “For instance, on OWWA, is it really a welfare agency for OFWs? How come some workers don’t get benefits from it?”
He said that, based on the preliminary discussions, [I]Talakayan[/I] may be aired on KMCV if it gets sponsors.
He said [I]Talakayan[/I] may be held once a year or once a quarter if there is a demand for it.
Ching said he has consulted with a major sponsor and “they’re interested.”
United Filipino Organization co-chair Ed Reyes said the group supports the plan.
“It’s always good to educate our fellow Filipinos and others in the community who may be interested in the issues,” Reyes said.
There is an estimated 20,000 OFWs in the CNMI, but the Philippine Consulate General said recently that this number is now down to about 15,000.
