The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) vowed on Tursday, Oct. 18, to implement a fully digitalized command center for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) before the end of November this year.
DMW Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople made the announcement during the turnover of electronic equipment donated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at the Blas Ople Building in Mandaluyong City where she and IOM Deputy Director-General Amy Pope signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which aims to strengthen greater cooperation between the two organizations in serving the Filipino migrant workers, their welfare, empowerment, education, and reintegration.
The IOM handed various laptops and electronic equipment to Ople in the presence of DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
"We look forward to more years, more decades of deep abiding friendship and shaping a better world for everyone," said Pope.
On the part of DMW, Ople expressed gratitude, noting that the equipment donated to the DMW will be used to monitor situations in various geographies around the world where there are Filipinos.
"IOM has been here for quite a long time, I think even in the '70s. We are not just friends more than just partners and I would add in my case I would consider them as a family because families understand each other. We understand what each other going through and that is the situation that would be always the case with IOM and the Philippines," Ople addressed to IOM in her acceptance message.
According to Ople, they are rushing to set up the DMW digital command center before the end of November.
"The IOM through their generosity will soon have a digital command center here in the department wherein we would be able to update our contingency plans when there is a calamity," said Ople.
"In any part of the world when there is a conflict going on, every time there is a surge in the global pandemic due to Covid-19, and situations that would necessitate extraordinary measures, the command center is doing it easy for us to locate our OFWs," she added.