IN a bid to streamline the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Japan, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has established the Japan Employment Facilitation Desk (Japan Desk), with units in Tokyo and Osaka.
Japan is one of the Philippines’ key OFW markets. Based on government data, there are 61,766 registered OFWs in Japan. Most of the OFWs are working in the construction and manufacturing sector, as well as in the care workers and professionals categories.
The Japan Desk “is the first of its kind as it focuses on the processes and services of just one OFW host country,” DMW officer-in-charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a statement.
The DMW said the Japan Desk is tasked to monitor the deployment and return of OFWs in Japan, and to enforce compliance with timeframes for actions on Japanese documents, processes, and concerns.
It shall also serve as the focal unit for Japan concerns, and recommend rewards and incentives for Japanese principals and employers, Japan-registered vessels, and licensed Philippine recruitment agencies and manning agencies.
Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan, who was tasked to head the Japan Desk, said the creation of the unit fulfils a commitment made by the late Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople in February. — Gerard Naval
