4 new overseas labor offices opened

MANILA -- The government has opened four additional Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the new POLOs are in Los Angeles, USA; Berlin, Germany; Wellington, New Zealand and Osaka, Japan.

“And so as we may be able to more efficiently serve our OFWs, we opened four new Philippine Overseas Labor Office which now totals 40 POLOs across the globe,” Bello said at the year-end press conference Thursday.

There are other POLOs in Asia, Middle East, Europe, and in the Americas.

The office acts as the operating arm of DOLE for the administration and enforcement of its policies and programs for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). It is directly under the

Office of the Secretary of Labor.

Bello also reported the POLOs have provided onsite assistance to almost 2.3 million Filipinos overseas for this year.

“This included training, case management, custodial services, repatriation, and other welfare assistance,” he said. (PNA)