It has been said many times that our Overseas Filipino Workers are our Modern-Day Heroes. Those who tilled in another country are the ones who is now the greatest contributor to the economic growth of our country through the remittances we got from them.

Working abroad and being away from the family is hard and full of strifes. They experience all types of hardships imcluding physical, mental, social, and emotional. All for their families and largely for their massive contributions to the country’s economy and development. And yet, their voice is heard so little especially when we see news that show how our government dont help them in cases when our leaders help is needed the most.

Because of this sentiment and for years now, they call upon our government to establish a Department solely for them, thus the Department of Migrant Workers was created. Those we called the distressed OFWs are the ones who persevered, worked hard, and spent their time to succeed in establishing the Department  and they are happy when Outgoing President Rpdrigo Duterte appointed Atty. Abdullah Mama-O, presidential adviser as the first secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers on March 15, 2022.

But with the new administration, things starting to get stalled when Incoming President Marcos apponited a new head in the name of Susan Ople, daughter of former Marcos crony. And it does not seat well with many of our distressed OFW who believed that Atty. Mama-O will be a big help to the OFW.

As such, OFW groups, Unified Migrant Workers Global (UMWG) and OFWs Distressed Advocate Philippines (ODAP), held a press conference last June 15, 2022 at the White Knight Hotel Saint Anne Manila to call for a five minutes of incoming Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. time to listen to their voices why they want Atty Mama-O to be retained as the Secretary of DMW.

Mama-O, a longtime OFW knows the problems facing our migrant workers and many OFW groups believed that all their efforts to better the rights of our OFW will be for naught with the appointment of a new head. They are calling for the President to give them just 5 or 15 minutes of his time why Mama-O should be retained. But still, with an audience with the President they are open to the idea of a new DMW head and they would still cooperate with her, if only President Marcos will listen to their side.

For more of what they are fighting more, watch HERE.