OFWs funds for family’s needs will make up for loss in ‘zero-remittance week’ — Gatchalian

Metro Manila, Philippines - The need to fund their family’s expenses in the Philippines will eventually push overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to remit their earnings, making up for the possible loss from plans to suspend remittances in support for detained former President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Win Gatchalian said on Saturday.

According to Gatchalian, families of OFWs in the country rely on them to provide for bills such as tuition fees and necessities such as medicine.

“‘Yung hindi nila in-remit, iri-remit rin nila. Mako-compensate rin dahil ‘yung mga remittance na ‘yun ay ginagamit sa pang-tuition fee, lalo na sa edukasyon,” the senator said in an interview.

“So, kung meron man isang linggong hindi mag-re-remit, tingin ko makakompensate yan sa susunod na linggo o sa susunod na mga araw,” he added.

[Translation: What they don’t remit, they will eventually remit. It will also compensate, because those remittances are used for tuition fees, especially in education…So if there is a week of not remitting, I think that will be compensated in the following week or days.]

Gatchalian also said that proposals to cancel or also suspend the tax privileges of the OFWs for their protest should not be entertained.

“Ang pinakamahalaga dito ay hayaan natin i-express nila ‘yung kanilang saluobin at kanilang emosyon at opinion. Lalo na opiniyon. Iba-iba talagang opiniyon natin,” he said.

[Translation: The most important thing here is to let them express their feelings and their emotions and opinions. Especially opinion. We really have different opinions. ]

This comes days following reports of a “zero-remittance week” among OFWs who support Duterte who is in custody of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands for charges in relation to crimes against humanity linked to his drug war.

The plan to suspend remittances are in line with Duterte’s supporters’ call for his return to the Philippines.

The Palace earlier encouraged OFWs to study their plan, adding that the government is not stopping them from their form of protest.