President Marcos has inaugurated a one-stop shop for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) which aims to assist them in various services starting from their departure to their return to the country.
Marcos led the opening of the Department of Migrant Workers' (DMW) Bagong Pilipinas One-Stop OFW AKSYON (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan) Center in Makati City on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
In his speech, he said that the establishment of the center is a symbolism of gratitude and a gift to OFWs to basically make their lives easier.
The AKSYON Center centralizes full-cycle support and assistance, including services beginning from the OFWs’ departure from the country, throughout their overseas employment, all the way to their return and reintegration with families and loved ones.
Other major frontline services include the Balik-Manggagawa processing, reintegration support services, legal assistance, and other necessary support through the DMW AKSYON Fund.
"Ang AKSYON Center ay hindi lamang isang opisina. Isa itong simbolo ng mabilis, maayos, at pinagsama-samang serbisyo para sa ating mga OFW (The center is not just an office. It is a symbol of fast, organized, and centralized services for our OFWs)," Marcos said in his speech.
"Layunin nitong gawing mas madali ang kanilang proseso—mula sa reintegrasyon, legal na tulong, hanggang sa pagsasanay at iba pang serbisyong kailangan nila (This aims to ease the process from reintegration, legal assistance to training and other services that they need)," Marcos added.
The center also puts together services from the Social Security System (SSS), PAG-IBIG Fund, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and other key national government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The President underscored that the new OFW center would assist OFWs to make sure that documentation is in place and that they are being assisted in acquiring all the needed clearances, permits, and loans.
"There have been many cases where Filipinos go abroad and because of their lack of knowledge or the incompleteness of the process they have undergone, they run into trouble and we want to avoid that," Marcos said.
"And so, that’s why the one-stop shop includes retraining, reskilling, upskilling, and to find job placements wherever. Not solely in the Philippines but also abroad," Marcos added.
The new center also features the Migrant’s Brew, a café offering free coffee and snacks to visiting OFWs and their families. It is the 23rd Migrant’s Brew outlet nationwide and the fifth in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, through a Usufruct Agreement, the Bagong Pilipinas OFW AKSYON Center expands the DMW’s operations by utilizing additional space in the former Landbank Building. This move allows the department to better accommodate its growing workforce and deliver more efficient and streamlined services to the migrant sector.