Davao, ARMM still without OFW one-stop shops

AT THE turn of the year, two of the 18 regions remain without their own One-Stop Service Center for OFWs (OSSCO), said the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole).

Data from the Dole showed that President Rodrigo Duterte’s home region, Davao Region, as well as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) have yet to open their own one-stop shops for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

To date, a total of 16 regions have already opened their OSSCOs, including the first one in Metro Manila at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) main office in Mandaluyong City.

The 15 other regions with OSSCOs are in: Manna Mall, San Fernando City, La Union (Ilocos Region); City Tourism Office, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan (Cagayan Valley); Baguio Convention Center, Baguio City (Cordillera Administrative Region); Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga (Central Luzon); OWWA Regional Office 4A in Calamba City (Calabarzon); Robinson’s Place, Puerto Princesa City (Mimaropa); Pacific Mall, Legaspi City (Bicol Region); Robinson’s Place, Iloilo City (Western Visayas); SM City, Cebu City (Central Visayas); Robinson’s Place, Bacolod City (Negros Island Region); Dole Regional Office No. 8, Tacloban City (Eastern Visayas); Goodwill Center, Zamboanga City (Zamboanga Peninsula); OWWA Regional Office No. 10, Cagayan de Oro City (Northern Mindanao); New City Hall, Koronadal City (Soccsksargen); Butuan City Hall Complex, Butuan City (Caraga).

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III had previously said that the plan is to establish OSSCOs in all regions of the country.

Aside from shortening the time to process their documents, the OSSCOs also aim to reduce the expenses of OFWs as the services of concerned government agencies can already be availed of in just one location.

“Through the OSSCO, government frontline ser- vices are made accessible to Filipinos, who are currently working or planning to work overseas,” said the Dole in a statement.

Government agencies housed by the OSSCOs are Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), Philippine Health Insur- ance Corporation (PhilHealth), Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Bureau of Immigration (BI), National Bureau Investigation (NBI), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The OSSCO was launched last Aug. 15 at the POEA main office.