Gov't hikes funding for OFW-related agencies

Gov’t hikes funding for OFW-related agencies By RUBEN JEFFREY A. ASUNCION www.ofwjournalism.net Two government agencies expected to help overseas Filipino workers received increases in funding for this year, budget records showed. The 2008 General Appropriations Act bared that assistance projects for OFWs by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) got the increments the agencies proposed in last year’s budget hearings. The labor department got a P33.3-million increase in allocated funds for its "Social Protection Program," where the budget item "Workers Protection and Welfare Service to Overseas Filipino Workers" falls under. The program was given P383.3 million this year, up nearly ten percent from its P350 million budget last year. In addition, the labor department’s... [read full story]