This holiday season, OFW families in the Philippines can rest easy knowing that their loved ones are safe and that they can stay up to date with their situations abroad through a new mobile app backed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
The ABIZO OFW app offers this peace of mind to families as an innovative solution that aids in the management and facilitation of Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFWs’) app activities, addressing the government’s long-standing need to monitor them from anywhere in the world and in real-time using mobile and social networking technology.
The app allows OFWs to send out real-time emergency alerts and incident reports, as well as update their contact information and participate in surveys that would help government agencies like the POEA, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Overseas Labor & Office (POLO), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) provide timely responses to OFW concerns.
The ABIZO OFW platform has an integrated call center service for emergency response that can coordinate with other government agencies and international emergency service providers to help OFWs find solutions. Designed to respond to OFWs who are subjected to abusive and dangerous working conditions abroad, the ABIZO OFW app helps OFWs and their families feel safe and secure, especially this holiday season.
It also features a Pilot Red Button, which generates a simulation of the communication process of a request for assistance with a single tap on the mobile app. The purpose of this simulation is to establish benchmark parameters and conduct user experience research, which will aid in the management and provision of critical support for OFWs who are working in hazardous conditions outside the Philippines.
“We understand the plight of OFWs and their families—how hard it is to not meet your loved ones and worry about their safety and well-being every day. The ABIZO OFW app aims to help families stay up to date with their loved ones abroad and give them assurance that someone is looking out for them and ready to help in case of emergencies and other needs. Through our convenient mobile platform linked to the POEA, OFWs and their families can worry less, especially this holiday season, knowing that help and assistance is just one tap away,” says Angelo Antonio Buendia, Chairman of Advanced Abilities, which has partnered with Galileo Software Services, Inc. to develop the ABIZO OFW app.