AT least P35 million has been set aside by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) for the provision of cash assistance to Filipino workers in Japan who were affected by the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit Japan.
DMW Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the “adversely affected” overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be given P30,000 each.
“We estimated 1,194 OFWs in most affected areas, so we will allocate P35 million,” he said.
Government data shows there are 61,766 registered OFWs in Japan.
Cacdac said the cash aid will be provided to OFWs whose residents have been destroyed by the earthquake, or were forced to stop their work due to the massive tremor.
So far, he said, they have been getting reports of adversely affected OFWs in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
“We are continuously reaching out to our OFWs in the affected prefectures,” he said.
“We have also established hotlines and email addresses so that the OFWs can contact us,” he added. — Gerard Naval
