The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Thursday opened a fast-track calamity loan center for the families of active OWWA members who have been affected by typhoon Ondoy.

OWWA Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon said the calamity loan is in the amount P10,000 to qualified borrower and with no interest, payable in 24 monthly installments with a grace period of 120 days from release.

She said that the calamity loan is a response of OWWA to the urgent need of its members, when many households suffered in the wake of widespread destruction brought by the typhoon last Saturday.

The OWWA administrator also revealed that the calamity loan is also a concern that Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque deeply shares because of the impact that the typhoon has brought on Filipino households, including those of overseas filipino workers (OFWs).

"We note that a large number of those affected are OFW families, especially those residing in towns and cities declared as calamity areas by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) in Metro Manila, the province of Rizal and Region 3," Dimzon added.