Just recently, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Dubai and Northern Emirates (POLO Dubai) announced that OFWs in the UAE can apply for AED 730 cash assistance if they meet the minimum requirements released by DOLE Department. Per the previous announcement, any OFW who is displayed either land-based or sea-based can apply for this benefit.
This was the first step in the Philippines to help overseas workers amidst the coronavirus outbreak. However, issues came up with regards to this DOLE-AKAP program for OFWs as POLO Dubai subsequently suspended the application of the cash assistance to Filipinos.
Philippine Cash Assistance Suspended Due to Limited Funds – Total Budget 1.5 Billion Pesos to Accommodate 150,000 Filipinos Worldwide
The main reasons stated in the advisory why the cash assistance was suspended is because of the “pending evaluation of applications received” and “availability of funds.” The announcement was made by POLO Dubai and starting April 21, 2020, no more applications was accepted from OFWs in the UAE.
In Dubai alone, as per Gulf News report, around 25,733 applications were submitted to POLO and over 4,732 have been evaluated. There’s over 640,000+ Filipino currently in working and residing in the UAE. So, imagine the number of applications the agency has been receiving in the past few days.
Many OFWs in Dubai and in other parts of the UAE are hopeful to receive the said cash assistance. With the suspension following the announcement of the cash aid, it’s no surprise that some speculated how the authorities are managing the budget. But please be advised that the reason why the cash assistance was suspended is based on the limited availability of funds.
Total Budget is 1.5 Billion Pesos for OFW Population Worldwide
For those who are looking for valid reasons why the cash assistance was suspended, DOLE released an announcement to back up the “availability of funds” that POLO wants everyone to understand.
On its post, DOLE stated “Another amelioration program of DOLE is the P1.5-billion AKAP for affected and displaced overseas Filipino workers. The program seeks to assist about 150,000 OFWs on-site or in host countries affected by lockdowns and those in the Philippines who are unable to return to their destinations… More than 30,000 requests for assistance have already been received under the program, on top of the 25,800 stranded OFWs assisted by DOLE and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.”
The statement and budget given is the reason of the suspension of cash assistance. There is really limited funds. DOLE only allocated P1.5 billion for ALL OFWs in the whole world. The budget is not just for OFWs in the UAE. As they predicted, it can only accommodate about 150,000 OFWs who are affected by the lockdowns including those who are trapped in the Philippines.
It seems like there should be further evaluation on the budget allotted. The P1.5 billion budget is clearly not enough to accommodate everyone.
Here’s the full statement of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regarding the P1.5 billion budget for OFW: