OFW PARTY-list Representative Marissa Magsino filed a measure that seeks to establish mechanisms to protect minor children of overseas Filipino workers.

Magsino said House Bill 8560 will create a system of temporary guardianship to ensure the safety and well-being of children during the absence of their OFW parents.

Through the system, absentee parents will have the ability to designate trusted individuals as temporary guardians, facilitate regular communication with the children and enable the continued provision of necessary emotional and financial support to them.

“The urgency for this legislation arises from the vulnerability of children, particularly minors, to various forms of violence, exploitation, and abuse that may occur in their surroundings when their single parent or both parents are toiling hard abroad,” Magsino said.

While overseas work has brought opportunities for better and financially stable lives for many Filipinos, the lawmaker said that the changing dynamics in family relationships brought about by migration and parental absence could have negative consequences on the physical and emotional well-being, as well as personal security and safety of the children left behind.

To ensure the effectiveness of the system, the bill mandates close monitoring by barangay officials and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.