The Philippine Embassy in Madrid launches Embassy App

The Philippine Embassy in Madrid launched the eFILIPINAS mobile app, a mobile application for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during the 3rd National Congress of Filipino Community Leaders in Spain and Andorra held in Madrid on November 16, 2019.

The app, a brainchild of Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier, is a freeware program dedicated to Filipinos visiting and living in Spain and Andorra. The app is the first of its kind in the Philippine foreign service and 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, among other features.

“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.”

This app will also provide our kababayans with urgent assistance for matters concerning security and other related concerns. Police and emergency hotlines are also accessible through the app for quick response.

The app has an interactive consulate locator where the user’s location can be entered manually. The locator has map pins of consular offices in Spain and Andorra and a search option showing the user’s current location for enhanced experience.

Adding to the rich information base that this app builds is the availability of an RSS feed which features news from Spain, Andorra, and the Philippines.

The feed pulls information from news sites in real-time for users.

Filipinos in Spain and Andorra are also 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. Push notifications will also be enabled for any upcoming consular missions and Embassy events that they may want to join.

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 (OWWA) benefits for accredited members.

The eFILIPINAS app is now entering its third phase of development where a community wall and a meeting place for app users will be introduced; this feature will include a chat room for real-time and easier connectivity, as well as a bulletin board for announcements that users may want to post.