The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)-MIMAROPA has sought to allay concerns that the transfer of most of its Palawan personnel to the regional office in Calapan City would weaken services in the province and affect anti-human trafficking efforts.
It insisted that its Palawan office remains operational and continues to play a key role in the fight against human trafficking.
Regional Director Carlo Villaflores said Tuesday that the personnel movement was ordered by DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac in compliance with an executive order designating Calapan City as the regional center of Mimaropa.
He stressed that the agency will maintain its local office and is not pulling out of Palawan.
“With regards doon sa paglipat mayroon po tayong executive order na nagsasabi na the Calapan City is the regional center of the Mimaropa region so kailangan nating mag-abide doon… nag-issue si secretary ng EO na maglipat ng mga tao from Palawan to Calapan pero hindi po natin iniiwan ang opisina dito sa Palawan,” Villaflores said.
The clarification came after concerns raised during a recent session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, where Board Member Ryan Maminta warned that the transfer could weaken the province’s anti-human trafficking efforts and services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Maminta said Palawan remains a critical area in the government’s campaign against trafficking in persons and should be given stronger support rather than reduced manpower.
“Pero sana ang kahilingan natin sa pagpapalakas nila ng kanilang regional office dapat hindi nila pipilayin ang operasyon ng Department of Migrant Workers dito sa Lalawigan ng Palawan,” he said.
“Kasi critical point tayo pagdating doon sa actions at fight against trafficking in persons at ang pagpapatupad ng Anti-Human Trafficking Act ng Pilipinas,” he added.
Maminta also questioned why the provincial government had not been informed before the reassignment of personnel despite previous discussions on expanding DMW’s presence in the province, including plans to establish another office in northern Palawan.
Villaflores said, however, those transferred were mainly from the finance and administrative division and were not directly involved in frontline operations.
“Karamihan po sa mga nilipat natin doon ay nasa finance and administrative division so basically sila yung gumagawa ng payroll, ng HR trainings, hindi sila involve doon sa operations,” he said.
He said the Palawan office still has nine personnel composed of five plantilla employees and four job order workers, a staffing level he said remains higher than in other Mimaropa provinces.
“With five regular positions at four na job orders so siyam po sila… compared po sa ibang provinces, Palawan has nine, Occidental Mindoro has 1, Romblon has 1, Marinduque has 1,” Villaflores said.
The regional director also said the department continues to recruit personnel, with 41 plantilla positions still being filled.
On anti-human trafficking efforts, Villaflores said DMW continues to rely on their desk officers and OFW desk officers in every municipality to strengthen its reach across the province.
“May mga activities po kami na ginagawa para po malabanan natin itong problema nating ito… dito po sa Palawan mayroon po tayong DMW desk officer at OFW desk officer per municipality para makatulong po sa amin kasi hindi po talaga namin kayang bumaba sa munisipyo from time to time,” he explained.
He also cited the memorandum of agreement signed between the Palawan provincial government and the DMW on June 13 to strengthen services for migrant workers in the province.
Despite the assurance, Maminta maintained that the agency also needs sufficient logistical support. He noted that the Palawan office’s service vehicle has no assigned driver, making it difficult to conduct field operations.
“Ang sasakyan nila walang driver samantalang may mga operasyon dapat silang ikondak. So anong gagawin noong opisina diyan kung walang gumaganang logistics para sa kanilang pagganap ng kanilang tungkulin bilang Department of Migrant Workers?” he asked.
Labor Attaché Hermie Daytoc acknowledged the problem, saying the office vehicle is already more than a decade old.
“Mayroon kaming shortcomings in terms of logistics because yung sasakyan natin dito matanda na I think more than a decade,” Daytoc said.
He added that the department has already purchased another service vehicle for the region.
“Definitely within this year naka-purchase na tayo [ng service vehicle], I think one vehicle again, and it’s up to the regional director, for his discretion kung saan niya yan ilagay,” he said.
Board Member Winston Arzaga also urged the DMW to keep most of its operational resources in Palawan despite complying with the directive to establish the regional center in Calapan.
“You can transfer there, but you can leave in Palawan the bulk of your operations. Because this is where the action is,” Arzaga said.
He also encouraged the agency to strengthen partnerships with local governments and other authorities to improve its response to trafficking cases across the province.
“Network your local authorities with the barangay, lahat-lahat, so that the bulk of your burden can, of course, be spread out,” he said.
-MIMAROPA answer questions from members of the Palawan Provincial Board during a meeting on programs and services for overseas Filipino workers. (Photo by Palawan News)){kind=link}