Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), long considered as “modern-day heroes,” should receive the treatment they deserve – starting at the country’s main international gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
House Speaker Martin Romualdez expressed his belief as he recently paid an inspection at the site of the planned OFW lounge at NAIA Terminal 3.
The planned OFW Lounge is a pet project of Speaker Romualdez in partnership with the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration (OWWA).
“We can see here in Terminal 3 an OFW lounge similar to the one we have in Terminal 1. That one is very nice but already full to the brim. Since there are more passengers in Terminal 3, we are very grateful to Mr. Ramon Ang and Mam Cecille (Ang’s daughter) for accommodating not only the OFW lounge here but they want to provide a larger space that’s almost double the area,” the Speaker said.
SMC-SAP & Co. Consortium of San Miguel Holdings Corp., RMM Asian Logistics, Inc., RLW Aviation Development, Inc., and Incheon International Airport Corp. bagged the P170.6 billion PPP project aimed at the comprehensive rehabilitation and operation of NAIA.
“We're also grateful to OWWA and the NAIA management for coordinating this request to ensure that migrant workers traveling through NAIA are accommodated as VIPs should be,” Speaker Romualdez said.
He added that the planned OFW lounge in Terminal 3 could be operational by the end of June this year.
The Office of Speaker Romualdez also delivered yesterday an initial donation consisting of a 55-inch and a 65-inch television set that would be installed at the NAIA Terminal 1 OFW lounge to provide entertainment and valuable information for departing migrant workers.
This lounge area at Terminal 1 has served close to 75,000 workers or roughly 2,000 OFWs daily, Romualdez said.
Romualdez, who witnessed the signing of the PPP agreement in Malacanang, had earlier expressed confidence the vital project would bring about substantial improvements in airport facilities and services.
"The rehabilitation and operation of NAIA under this PPP framework demonstrate the unwavering commitment of the administration of President Marcos, Jr. to fostering sustainable growth and innovation in our transportation infrastructure," the Speaker noted.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #NAIA #OFW #OWWA