The labour department of the Philippines announced it is working towards enhanced deployment and protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as it is set to forge agreements with more countries.

Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello III said ‘a huge number of jobs’ is on the table and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will prioritise 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.

Bilateral Labor Agreements are formal agreements entered into by the Philippines with countries of destination to govern deployment, labour 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, in the meantime, advised Filipino workers to continue honing their skills while in the Philippines.

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