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By Rommel C. Lontayao, Reporter
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) led the
official celebration as government critics marched in protest from
Quiapo to Mendiola on Saturday, Migrant Workers Day.
DOLE held activities for the Araw ng Pasasalamat,
where migrant workers and the so-called OFW Family Circle (OFC) were
offered with cultural and entertainment presentations and several
free services at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
These free services included haircut, manicure
and pedicure services courtesy of Ricky Reyes Learning Center; free
calls courtesy of Globe Telecom; massage service by Natural Health
Foundation of the Philippines; a livelihood fair by OFC Groceria;
and medical services by Unilab, among others.
The celebratory program was highlighted by a
parade from the Cultural Center of Philippines to the Rizal Memorial
Coliseum, is the OWWA’s special recognition to overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs).
The event was attended by Labor Secretary and
OWWA Administrator Marianito Roque, OWWA Regional Welfare
Office-National Capital Region head Ma. Consolacion Marquez, and
2007 Model OFW Family of the Year awardee Bonifacio Ucat’s family.
A whole-day affair in celebration of the Migrant
Workers Day was also held at E-Mall in Cebu City as some 5,000 OFWs
and their families were treated to a musical concert with Chad Borja
and the Stage Crew band as performers. Raffle draws were conducted
both in Cebu and in Manila.
Migrant Workers Day has been celebrated in the
country since the approval of Republic Act No. 8042 or the Migrant
Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.
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