UAE: Covid-hit Filipino expats may still get Dh2,100 aid

UAE: Covid-hit Filipino expats may still get Dh2,100 aid

Around 25,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from across the globe have received one-time cash assistance of Php30,000 (Dh2,100) for their children in college, the Philippines’ labour authorities said on Monday. With fresh funds eyed for this pandemic programme, more expats may still be able to avail themselves of the grant. The initiative, called Tabang OFW, was launched last year as part of the relief programmes for Filipino expats whose livelihoods were affected by the Covid-19 situation. Among those eligible are OFWs who were repatriated, lost their jobs, or died amid the pandemic. For every expat in need, one dependent in college could be given Dh2,100. “Over a month ago, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered that an additional Php 3 billion (Dh217 million) be allocated to the scholarship programme,” Philippine Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello III said as he met Filipino expats in the UAE at a town hall meeting in Dubai on Monday night. An initial fund of Php1 billion (Dh72 million) was allotted to the project in 2020. Out of the target beneficiaries of over 32,000, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) —led by Hans Leo Cacdac — has given cash assistance to nearly 25,000 college students. The project