Senators are pushing for government officials to create comprehensive contingency plans to assist undocumented Filipinos, should President-elect Donald Trump follow through with the implementation of his campaign.
In a press release on Tuesday, November 12, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada urged officials to create a plan on how to help returning Filipinos. He proposed that the returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) be provided with jobs and other means of livelihood after their arrival.
“Apektado rin ang mga pamilyang umaasa sa padala ng mga kababayan natin na walang legal na basehan ang paninirahan sa US sakali man na mapilitan silang umuwi ng bansa. Our government should be prepared to offer financial assistance programs to help families affected by the loss of a financial lifeline,” Estrada said.
On the other hand, Senator Imee Marcos assured the OFWs in the United States that they would be given immediate response to the impending deportation.
“I call on my colleagues in both the Senate and the House to give the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) all of the necessary funds to respond promptly and adequately to the impending deportation of more than 200,000 undocumented Filipinos in the United States,” the Senator said.
“The DFA must be adequately prepared to provide timely and effective assistance to our kababayans facing this crisis,” she added.
Marcos added that it is far better for the DFA to be fully prepared, to ensure that the safety, welfare, and dignity of their countrymen will not be compromised.
“To be fully equipped, the DFA needs at least Php 12.4 billion and possibly up to Php 27.286 billion to meet any surge in costs. Yet, the current allocation is only 5 to 10% of this requirement--a significant shortfall that must be addressed,” Marcos said.
Due to this, Marcos stressed that urgent action is required for the implementation of a comprehensive plan once mass deportations ensue.
Following his election as President, Trump ordered the largest-ever deportation operation, modeled after the Eisenhower-era program. With that order, undocumented migrant workers will be removed or deported from the US on a massive scale.
