On the eve of President Benigno Aquino III first 100 days in office this week, at least 100 overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia will shave their heads in protest of his administration's decision to slash the legal assistance fund for migrant workers.
Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported Sunday that OFWs in Al-Khobar and Riyadh will shave their heads Oct. 7, the eve of Aquino's 100th day in office. The President assumed office on June 30 marked by an inaugural at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila’s Rizal Park.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is helping some 7,000 Filipinos jailed around the world, with 230 involving the death sentence.
For the 2011, the Department of Budget and Management has cut the DFA's budget proposal by 42.6 percent.
Last month, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the Aquino administration approved only P27 million in legal assistance fund or LAF.
Section 18 of Republic Act 10022 or the Amended Migrant Workers' Act provides LAF with a P100 million allotment of which P50 million shall be taken from the President’s contingency fund, P30 million from the President’s social fund, and P20 million from the Overseas Workers Welfare Fund.
The DFA originally requested P19 billion for its 2011 operations, but the DBM only approved P10.9 billion, or 0.67 percent of the P1.645 trillion national budget. —With Sophia Dedace/VS, GMANews.TV
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