Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Thursday called on the government to exhaust all efforts in ensuring that aid and support are provided for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

No Filipino should be left behind when it comes to providing immediate and adequate government services, Villanueva said in a news release.

“Dapat ilapit po ang serbisyo ng gobyerno sa bawat Pilipino saan man sila sa mundo (Government services must be brought closer to all Filipinos wherever they are in the world),” he said.

He said prioritizing the welfare and protection of the country’s “modern heroes” is one way to recognize “their hardships and deeds, not only for their families, but for the country and economy as well.”

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, personal remittances from OFWs in 2023 amounted to USD37.2 billion, accounting for 8.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Villanueva was among the lawmakers who advocated for the inclusion in the 2024 national budget of PHP1 billion for the Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan (AKSYON) Fund under the budget of the Department of Migrant Workers; PHP1 billion for the Assistance to Nationals fund; and PHP200 million for the legal assistance fund under the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The said funds are for the provision of medical, financial, legal, and other forms of assistance, including repatriation, evacuation, rescue and other necessary interventions to protect Filipinos abroad.

Last Sunday, Villanueva attended an OFW gathering at the International Center in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong, where more than 3,000 OFWs received medical, educational and other forms of assistance through the Tesdaman Action Center, the senator’s advocacy for OFWs.

According to the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, 173,123 Filipino workers are in Hong Kong, most of whom are domestic workers.

The Philippine Consulate and the Migrant Workers Office headed by Consul General Germinia Usudan was also invited to the event to provide consular and migrant workers-related services. (PNA)