As you already know the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is the principal government agency that deals with the employees in the private sector, including OFWs. (For government employees, it is the Civil Service Commission.) In fact, the DOLE website states:

"The Department of Labor and Employment is mandated as the primary policy-making, programming, coordinating and administrative entity of the Executive Branch of the government in the field of labor and employment. It assumes the primary responsibilities of promoting gainful employment opportunities and optimizing the development and utilization of the country's manpower resources; advancing workers' welfare by providing for just and humane working conditions and terms of employment; and maintaining industrial peace by promoting harmonious, equitable, and stable employment relations that assure equal protection for the rights of all concerned parties."

Under the DOLE are several bureaus or offices dealing with specific employee concerns, examples are the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (for setting the minimum wage for every region), NLRC (for illegal dismissals), OWWA and POEA (for OFWs), Employees Compensation Commission (for work-connected sickness and death), and others.

Recently, however, there is a plan to make a new department that will address the needs of OFWs. In other words, there is a move to transfer OFW concerns from the DOLE to the proposed Department for OFWs.

Questions:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of creating a separate department for OFWs?

2. Are you in favor of creating a separate department for OFWs? Why or why not?