OFW LIVELIHOOD. Secretary Emmanuel Piñol gathers Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) employees in a meeting to prepare for the huge numbers of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who may be repatriated by the Philippine Government due to the crisis in Middle East. They have also line up various livelihood interventions intented for the OFWs. (Photo courtesy of Mayette Tudlas of MinDA)
DAVAO CITY -- The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said it has drawn up livelihood programs for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who may have to come home in the country following the looming conflict between Iran and the United States.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the program includes cattle, hog, and poultry raising; sorghum, mango, and organic rice production; and agarwood propagation.
Piñol said he already met MinDA personnel on Monday to discuss preparations for the huge numbers of OFWs who may have to be repatriated by the Philippine Government.
He said the move came in the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte's statements expressing concern for the safety of Filipino workers in the Middle East, as Iran and its proxies are seen preparing for possible retaliatory strikes against the United States.
"The preparations for the returning OFWs from the Middle East was one of the major issues discussed in the staff meeting today," he said.
Also on Wednesday, MinDA joined the crisis management meeting called by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
Piñol said MinDA presented its preparations for the crisis, which would mainly focus on livelihood and income-generating projects for the returning OFWs.
"The MinDA initiative to contribute to the preparations for the crisis was mainly because of the fact that many of the OFWs in Islamic countries in the Middle East come from Mindanao, including the Bangamoro Provinces," Piñol said.
"With proper preparation, the feared crisis could yet become a window of opportunity for the agricultural and economic development of Mindanao with the involvement of thousands of OFWs," he added. (PNA)
