Unified Migrant Workers Global (UMWG) and OFWs Distressed Advocate Philippines (ODAP) requests for a talk with incoming Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

OFWs are economic heroes of the country for their significant contribution to the growth of the Philippine economy. One of the main sources of our high percentage of inflow of dollars into our country is the remittances that come from our countrymen who work hard abroad to support their respective families. In fact, the Philippines is one of the top five economies in the world benefitting the most from remittances. 

The question, “Is the support of our country’s leaders enough to reciprocate their heroism? They have been called the new heroes of the country, but are they given recognition and appreciation for this heroism? "

These distressed OFWs are the people who persevered, worked hard, and spent their time to succeed in establishing the Department of Migrant Workers, " this is also with the great help of our good presidential adviser Atty. Abdullah Mama-O, who is now appointed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the first secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers on March 15, 2022.


Unified Migrant Workers Global (UMWG) and OFWs Distressed Advocate Philippines (ODAP), who are both OFW groups, held a press conference on June 15, 2022 at the White Knight Hotel Saint Anne Manila to call for a 15-minute dialogue with incoming Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

This is in connection with the news of the appointment of Susan "Toots" Ople by incoming Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as the secretary of Department of Migrant workers. The said OFW groups believe the recently appointed first secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers Atty. Abdullah Mama-O should retain his position since aside from being a Muslim and an OFW himself, has just been appointed last March 9, 2022. 

In addition, outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte formed a task force in 2018, of which Mama-o was made a member of, as part of a bid to free Filipinos who were kidnapped by armed militants in Libya. In 2019, Mama-o helped facilitate the return of seven Filipinos in Libya who were accused of smuggling fuel.