With the first batch of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) back in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed around 150 of them at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport earlier this week, where he vowed to provide assistance for those out of the job.

“We are here to see to it that every Filipino is treated decently,” he said, after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) earlier banned the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait, following reports surrounding the deaths of several migrant workers.

The most recent death occurred when the body of Iloilo-born OFW Joanna Daniela Dimapilis was found inside a freezer last week.

In response to such cases, Senator Manny Pacquiao filed Senate Resolution No. 626, calling for an investigation into government labor policies, including the practices of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

It was recently reported, DOLE  is currently working with Chinese officials to possibly open employment to returning OFWs.

“The labor secretary is finalizing the mechanism by which we can deploy workers to China as an alternative destination,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during a press conference earlier this week.

Japan and Russia are also being considered as alternatives./PLL, WDJ