Over 22,400 clients have already been served by the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) One-Stop Processing Center (OSPC) the President established here four months ago, the Central Luzon offi ce of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported here yesterday.
“The existence of the OPSC at Clark Polytechnic compound was able to cut down time for complying with government requirements, making it convenient for our OFW-clients, especially those flying from the Clark International Airport,” DOLE regional director Ana Dione said.
She cited records saying that from Sept. 12, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017, DOLE-attached Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) served 4,716 clients over the period.
The total included 2,328 OFWs who availed themselves of POEA’s documentation of workers-on-leave otherwise known as Balik Manggagawa Program, she said.
Dione said 1,087 OFWs had either registered or renewed their OWWA memberships while 906 clients were served under TESDA’s Training Assistance and Scholarship Program and were provided assistance in getting various registrations.
This is on top of 395 clients who were able to have their professional licenses issued or renewed by the PRC within an hour, she added.
“Aside from DOLE-attached agencies, partner agencies also housed at the OSPC have contributed in fast-tracking their respective services benefiting around 17,730 clients during the same period,” she also said.
Dione also noted that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. processed membership registrations of 6,671 clients while the Home Mutual Development Fund processed the membership and screening of loyalty cards for 6,002 clients.
Also, the National Bureau of Investigation issued clearance certificates to 3,095 clients.
Social Security System, for its part, assisted 1,036 clients on registration and membership data amendment, acceptance of benefit or loan claim applications, and contribution or loan status verification.
Dione also said the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, Maritime Industry Authority, Commission on Higher Education, and Bureau of Immigration provided their respective services to 856 clients.
“We are very thankful for the very positive feedback we’ve received so far. This will boost the morale of every personnel, irrespective of their agencies, manning our OFW OPSC,” Dione added.
“But we also recognize that we have areas of concerns that need to be addressed as we cannot entirely please everybody. We do apologize for any inconvenience our clients may have experienced. The people who man this Center are also human and could sometimes fall short, but rest assured, we are always working on improving the way we do things to serve our clients better,” Dione added.
