OWWA offers many programs like training and scholarships, livelihood programs, and cash assistance in times of need. Most of OWWA’s programs are financial assistance and one of them is calamity assistance. If you or your family have been victims of typhoons or other types of calamities, you may seek the help of OWWA. By claiming the calamity assistance offered by OWWA, you are also maximizing your benefits as a member of the agency.
Also Read: What is OWWA? Things to Know for OWWA OFW Members
Remember that there are a lot of benefits attached to your OWWA membership. If you think you are qualified for this OWWA calamity assistance and you are currently suffering because of a calamity, use this blog as a guide to claiming this particular benefit.
What is the OWWA Calamity Assistance Program?
OWWA’s calamity assistance is under the Welfare Assistance Program (WAP). WAP is actually an extended program given to OFWs or their families who can’t qualify for any existing social benefits of the agency. WAP covers four major benefits: calamity assistance, bereavement assistance, medical assistance, and relief assistance. The first major benefit is calamity assistance. This is given to OWWA members and their families who are affected by human-induced or natural calamities or disasters.
According to the previous post of OWWA Region 02 Cagayan Valley, OWWA’s WAP Calamity Assistance is a special program created for active members of OWWA and their families. This assistance amounts to P3,000. OWWA may give more than this amount depending on the situation but based on the previous assistance given to calamity victims, this amount is usually the basis of the calamity fund.
What are the benefits of OWWA Calamity cash Assistance?
The main benefit of this program is receiving financial assistance from OWWA when you or your family has been affected by a calamity or other types of natural or human-made disasters. Usually, those who are active members of the agency are given this assistance. Aside from other monetary assistance, you will receive from the government, this is additional help that only members of OWWA are entitled to.
Another benefit of this program is that active members of OWWA can maximize the advantages attached to their membership. If you haven’t availed of any of the advantages you are entitled to, this is a good opportunity to receive the help of OWWA for the first time. Besides, your contributions make a good portion of the funds of OWWA. Without your contributions, the agency couldn’t help other people.
What are the qualifications to claim cash assistance?
The requirements to claim the calamity assistance are simple.
- First, you need to be a member of OWWA.
- Second, you should have suffered from calamities or other types of disasters.
OWWA doesn’t way what kind of calamity but judging from what usually happens in the country, calamities like typhoons and earthquakes qualify. It’s not only natural disasters that are covered in this program, but as well as man-made calamities. So, for example, if there will be war in the future, you will be covered by this calamity assistance.
What are the document requirements to claim OWWA calamity assistance?
For the document requirements, there is the application form, which you can fill out online. On top of that, you should also prepare your valid IDs and bank accounts where you can receive assistance. In case OWWA decides to distribute the monetary help in cash, there’s no need to provide your bank details.
Here are the requirements to claim assistance from OWWA:
If the claimant is the OFW:
- A duly accomplished claim form with declaration that no other OFW-family had already availed of the assistance offered.
- 2 x 2 ID picture of the OFW
- A photocopy of a valid ID (preferably your valid OWWA ID card)
If the claimant is the SPOUSE of the OFW:
- Photocopy of their marriage contract
- A duly accomplished claim form
- 2 x 2 ID picture
- A photocopy of a valid ID with address
If the claimant is an UNMARRIED CHILD of the OFW who is of legal age:
- Photocopy of his/her birth certificate
- A duly accomplished claim form
- 2 x 2 ID picture
- A photocopy of a valid ID with address
If the claimant is the GUARDIAN of the OFW’s child who is a minor:
- Authorization letter from the OFW
- Photocopy of the birth certificate of the OFW’s (minor) child
- A duly accomplished claim form
- 2 x 2 ID picture of the claimant
- A photocopy of a valid ID/passport with address of the claimant
If the claimant is the PARENT of the unmarried OFW:
- Photocopy of the birth certificate of the OFW
- A duly accomplished claim form
- 2 x 2 ID picture of the claimant
- A photocopy of a valid ID/passport with address of the claimant
If the claimant is the SIBLING of the unmarried OFW:
- Authorization letter from the OFW
- Photocopy of the birth certificate of the OFW and the claimant
- A duly accomplished claim form
- 2 x 2 ID picture of the claimant
- A photocopy of a valid ID/passport with address of the OFW and claimant
These are so far the requirements. If you can provide all of those, then it’s only a matter of time before you receive your calamity assistance approval.
How to claim OWWA calamity Financial assistance
To claim your calamity assistance benefit, here are the following steps that you can follow. Make sure to follow this guide so you won’t experience inconvenience as you claim for it.
Step 1: Go to https://calamity.owwa.gov.ph to start your application.
The first thing you need to do is to fill out the information on the website provided. When you go to calamity.owwa.gov.ph, you will need to input your personal details such as your name, birthdate, gender, passport number, civil status, contact number, email, Facebook account, address, and the name of the claimant. You may click “Next” to go to the next page where you will see more instructions on how to submit your application.
Step 2: Prepare your documents.
The documents that might likely be required when you qualify for this assistance are your passport, the valid ID of your claimant, and bank account details. You need to have them on-hand while waiting for the message from OWWA to tell you whether you qualified for the monetary help or not.
Step 3: Claim your benefits.
Once you are qualified for the said program, you will receive further instruction from OWWA to receive your claims. Don’t forget to bring the documents mentioned above in case the staff asks for them. You may now claim your benefits by following the instructions given by OWWA.
What other benefits can you get?
During calamities, the government also helps the victims. Whether you are an OFW or not, you can definitely avail of the government’s assistance aside from OWWA’s. If you are looking forward to claim other OWWA benefits as well, you may check the scholarship programs your children can avail so as to lighten the burden brought by the calamities. Everyone knows how hard it is to bounce back from the ground. If you’ve suffered severely from the calamities, you deserve to get all the possible help you need from OWWA, especially because you are paying the membership fees.
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget that this benefit is extended to your family members. If you are abroad and the calamity happened in the Philippines, your beneficiaries may claim this assistance. If that’s the case, you can forward this guide to your relatives in the Philippines and make sure they follow the step-by-step procedure to claim the money. Give them advice on what to do if you are more familiar with the process. As an OFW, this is another opportunity for you to claim your benefits. If you think you or your family is qualified, don’t hesitate to apply. You or your family might need the financial assistance.
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Some News information about Calamity Assistance:
OWWA Extends Aid to OFW Families Affected by “Ompong”
The San Fernando, La Union arm of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) announced that they will be providing relief assistance to families of OFWs who have been affected by typhoon “Ompong,” which had recently ravaged a large part of northern Luzon.
The OWWA-led activity will take place on September 25-28 (Tuesday until Friday) at the Capitol Cafeteria, as shared in a report by the PTV News.
According to OWWA Regional Director Gerardo Rimorin, the agency has allotted a Php 5 million fund for calamity assistance. He further explained, “Only one OFW per family is entitled for the program. We give PHP 3,000 for active OWWA members and PHP 1,500 for inactive members.”
To make sure that the processing of transactions will go smoothly, Rimorin announced that there will be a fixed schedule for each town in the province to claim the assistance fund.
Based on the initial assessment of the damages gathered by the Provincial Resiliency Office under the Ilocos Norte government, the OWWA had announced the following schedule for qualified claimants in the following areas to proceed to the Capitol Cafeteria:
Batac City: September 25 & 26
Currimao: September 27 & 28
The succeeding schedule for other affected cities and municipalities will be announced by OWWA soon.
Back in 2016, the OWWA had also offered assistance to OFW families affected by the devastation brought about by typhoon “Lawin” (Haima).