The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) seeking more countries where Filipino workers and professional can work.

Labor Secretary Silvestre ‘Bebot’ Bello III said a huge number of jobs is on the table and the DOLE will prioritize OFWs who lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic.

“In the meantime, we are creating more employment destination for the overseas Filipino workers. That’s the reason why we are entering into agreement with Canada, Russia, China and even Bangkok so that we will have bilateral agreements with them to provide work destination for OFWs,” Bello said in a news release on Sunday.

Bilateral Labor Agreements (BLAs) are formal agreements entered into by the Philippines with countries of destination to govern deployment, labor cooperation on the protection and promotion of rights and welfare of OFWs, and human resources development.

As OFW deployment is still limited due to travel restrictions in some countries, Bello advised Filipino workers to continue honing their skills while in the Philippines.

Bello said a total of 702,000 OFWs were repatriated and have been reunited with their families after undergoing the required quarantine protocols.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an attached agency of DOLE, leads in providing various assistance to OFWs.

“We also a program called AKAP. If they are still in other countries and no jobs due to pandemic, we gave them $200 each but if they are here already, we gave them equivalent P10,000,” Bello said in Filipino.

Children of OFWs are also receiving aid through scholarship grants under OFW Dependent Scholarship Program (ODSP), an educational assistance of P20,000 per school year to qualified dependent of an active member OFW whose salary is not more than $600.

He said not only the active members are receiving aid from DOLE but also those who are not members.