Negros Occidental is among the provinces with “feminization of migration”, or an increasing number of women who are working in foreign countries, Rizza Joy Moldes, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) 6 OIC-regional director, said Friday, July 7.
As of February this year, of the 51,618 migrant workers from Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, 35,712 were females while there were only 15,618 males, both for sea-based and land-based jobs, she said.
The OWWA-6 has released P25 million in social benefits to migrant workers and their families in Western Visayas from January to June this year, she said.
These include more than P19 million worth of death insurance and burial benefits to survivors of 172 deceased overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and more than P6 million in medical assistance to 630 beneficiaries afflicted with chronic and dreaded diseases.
Moldes presented the data as part of the sharing on health and medical programs for OFWs during the Negros Occidental provincial government’s Forum on Women’s Health and other Gender and Development Matters held at the Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod City, Friday.
“The OWWA, together with the province, also conducts psycho-social activities to help distressed and displaced OFWs especially those who experienced trauma as a result of abuse,” she added.
Meanwhile, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson acknowledged that despite growing awareness of the state of women’s health, the gender gap in health care continues and is especially noticeable in developing nations.
“Let us encourage Negrense women to prioritize their own health and not overlook their own needs owing to their natural motivation to prioritize the health of their spouse or children,” the governor said in his message.
Lacson said that women’s health encompasses more than just reproductive matters and there is a need to espouse a broader definition concerning the overall health of women.
“Let us not just renew our focus, let us commit to action and make sure that in Negros Occidental, women’s rights are upheld, and all forms of discrimination eradicated,” he added.*PNA