The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is set to provide a one-time Cash Relief Assistance Program (CARE) to OWWA members and their families affected by Supertyphoon Lawin, which devastated certain areas in the Philippines this month. The OWWA will begin releasing the financial assistance to affected overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and families in areas declared under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 5 by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council that covers Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, Apayao, Northern Abra and Ilocos Norte at the soonest time.
The financial grant is in line with President Duterte’s instructions to Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III to immediately extend assistance to OFWs and their families who experienced the wrath of Lawin.
The OWWA Board of Trustees allocated P30 million for the program, which seeks to give a cash assistance of P3,000 per OFW-family. Nonactive members, on the other hand, are eligible to receive P2,000 financial aid.
In the event that there is more than one OFW in a family, only one OFW member is entitled to receive the monetary assistance.
OWWA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac has instructed all OWWA implementing units in the affected regions to facilitate the release of the assistance based on the guidelines prepared for this purpose.
The OWWA Membership Processing Center (MPC) shall determine the list of OWWA members residing in the target areas as pre-requisite for the release of said financial aid.
However, in case the claimant’s name is not included in the database, the Regional Welfare Offices (RWOs), may present proof of OWWA membership to enable the MPC to update the existing list.