MANILA, Philippines – In response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s orders to streamline government services, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) opened the first one-stop service center for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Monday, August 15.
The newly opened center includes representatives from various agencies with services that are all “relevant to OFWs,” and is now ready to serve as many as 2,000 to 3,000 OFWs daily, according to POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac.
The service center, located at the ground floor of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in Mandaluyong City, aims to reduce transportation expenses of OFWs and shorten the processing time for their documents.
OFWs may now avail of the following services from the one-stop service center:
- Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
- Passport services
- Passport validity extension for Balik-Manggagawa (vacationing Workers)
- Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA)
- Processing of OWWA membership/renewal of membership
- Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA)
- Assistance for competency assessment
- Verification of certificates and special order
- Assistance forrReplacement of National Certificates (NC)/ Certificates of Competency (COC)
- Training assistance and scholarship program
- Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)
- Issuance of Professional License
- Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
- Issuance/revalidation of seaman’s book
- Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF)
- Processing of Pag-ibig membership
- Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC)
- Payment of Philhealth contribution
- Member registration and updating 8.
- Social Security System (SSS)
- Registration and membership data amendment
- Acceptance of loan and benefits claim applications
- Loan verification and status
- UMID capturing and card releasing
- Response to queries
- Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
- Processing and copy issuance of
- Certificate of Live Birth
- Certificate of Marriage
- Certificate of Death
- Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR)
- Bureau of Immigration (BI)
- Departure clearance information
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
- Issuance of NBI clearance
- Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
- Verification and authentication of school credentials
- Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA)
- Travel tax payment
- Processing of travel tax exemption and reduced travel tax
- Response to queries
- Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)
- Documentation of workers (Landbased and Seabased)
- Documentation of workers-on-leave/Balik-Manggagawa
- Registration of landbased worker-applicants
- Verification/certification of OFW records
- Provision of legal assistance
- Response to queries
According to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, similar centers will also be set up in all regions spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Offices in coordination with the regional offices of the agencies cited above, local government units, and other partners and stakeholders.
The service centers will be open from 8am to 5pm from Monday to Friday. – Rappler.com