Phl Embassy in Spain Launches App
The eFILIPINAS mobile app was launched by the Philippine Embassy in Madrid during the 3rd National Congress of Filipino Community Leaders in Spain and Andorra last month.
The app, a brainchild of Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier, is a freeware program dedicated to overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and Filipinos visiting and living in Spain and Andorra to give easy assistance on their fingertips and is the first of its kind in the Philippine foreign service.
“In my two decades of service as Ambassador of the Philippines to different countries, I have always sought to give our hardworking Filipinos, particularly those in Spain and Andorra, quality service and a sense of home for our Filipino residents or tourists,” Lhuillier said.
The app, which is downloadable through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, offers a host of consular services with step-by-step instructions on how to obtain them as well as a directory of all Philippine missions in Spain and Andorra.
It will also provide OFW with urgent assistance for matters concerning security and other related concerns. Police and emergency hotlines are also accessible through the app for quick response.
Another highlight of the application is the overseas Filipino worker or OFW Corner, a section that features various services that address employment and contract verification concerns, as well as Overseas Workers Welfare
Administration benefits for accredited members.
In addition, the app has an interactive consulate locator where the user’s location can be entered manually for reference to direct them to map pins of consular offices in Spain and Andorra through a search option.
Adding to the rich information base that this app builds is the availability of an RSS feed, which pulls information from news sites in real-time for users featuring news from Spain, Andorra, and the Philippines.
Filipinos in Spain and Andorra will also be kept up-to-date with a digital community notice board where alerts for nationwide or city-wide holidays are posted as well as travel advisories, consular outreach schedules and other pertinent updates.