Due to the continuing partnership between the two countries, the Philippine Embassy has announced a new initiative that aims to help distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Bahrain.
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Based on an agreement between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of the Philippines, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) Expat Protection Centre in Sehla shall provide services to OFWs at the Philippine Embassy Shelter, Bahrain News Agency reported.
Expat Protection Centre to Assist OFWs in Bahrain
Usually, OFWs in distress come to the Philippine Embassy Shelter, where they are provided assistance, such as medical examinations and case documentation. But now, they have the option of getting the same services — and more — at the LMRA Expat Protection Centre.
What can we expect from the LMRA Expat Protection Centre? Well, it can:
- Provide shelter to as much as 200 persons
- Act as a “one-stop shop,” providing medical, psycho-social, and legal services
By combining their resources, the LMRA Expat Protection Centre and the Philippine Embassy Shelter in Bahrain are better equipped to address the needs of distressed OFWs.
From November 3 to 6, 2018, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary, Sarah Lou Arriola, visited Bahrain. During the visit, agreements between the two countries were made through Arriola and Ausamah Al Absi, the Chief Executive of LMRA.
Prior to the formal agreement, the Managers of the LMRA Expat Protection Centre and the Philippine Embassy Shelter, Shereen Khalil Al Saati and Redina Manlapaz, had already been coordinating their services — leading up to the formal agreement and its announcement.
The new partnership between the Philippine Embassy Shelter and the LMRA Expat Protection Centre follows other joint efforts between the two nations. Among these is the Bahrain Flexi Visa, which enables undocumented OFWs to legalize their status in the Kingdom.
The LMRA Expat Protection Centre, Bahrain Flexi Visa — all of these initiatives are borne out of the strengthening relationship between the Philippines and Bahrain. This just comes to show that through good leadership and governance, workers’ rights are duly upheld.
