DMW, NCMF to boost protection, employment of Muslim Filipinos

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) signed an agreement on Thursday to enhance the protection and employment opportunities of Muslim Filipinos.

In a statement, the DMW said the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the NCMF covers comprehensive support mechanisms for Muslim overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), from pre-departure orientation, deployment, and on-site employment to their eventual reintegration.

The MOA calls for collaboration between the two agencies on the following initiatives:

-developing a registration system for Muslim OFWs
-conducting pre-departure seminars with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
-providing Arabic language training in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
-launching joint campaigns against illegal recruitment and human trafficking

“We are committed to the full implementation of this agreement through all the stages of our Muslim OFWs’ overseas labor journey,” DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said. 

NCMF officer-in-charge Yusoph Mando said that the MOA may produce decent work and job opportunities for Muslim Filipinos.

Cacdac and Mando signed the agreement in a ceremony at the DMW Head Office in Mandaluyong City.  —VBL, GMA Integrated News