Sixteen government agencies led by the Department of Labor and Employment – Philippine Overseas Employment Administration sealed a more cohesive partnership to further strengthen the operations of One-Stop Service Center for OFWs (OSSCO) in the country.
In a memorandum of undertaking, which was signed at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the labor department has formalized its collaboration with 15 other government agencies in the delivery of services to OFWs.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, in his statement which was read by POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia, said that through the OSSCO the “time to process documents is shortened, travel expenses are reduced, and effectiveness of delivery of services is increased.”
Administrator Olalia, meanwhile, emphasized the shared responsibility among government agencies in providing enhanced OFW services.
“We have already signed MOU with our partners in the regions, but it is the first time that we will be signing the MOU at the national level. Through this, we expect to explore other areas of cooperation with our partner agencies,” the POEA Administrator said.
As of December 2018, a total of 3.8 million clients have been served by the 19 OSSCOs nationwide.
Approximately 30 identified services from 16 different government agencies are accessible to OSSCO clients.
A 24/7 hotline has also been set up to provide guidance for various OFW concerns.
Through the OSSCO, government frontline services are made accessible to Filipinos who are currently working or planning to work overseas. It operates from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Mondays to Fridays.
OSSCO was launched on August 15, 2016, at the POEA in Mandaluyong City.
The government agencies at the OSSCO 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 lndustry Authority (MARINA), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), Philippine Health lnsurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Bureau of Immigration (BI), National Bureau lnvestigation (NBI), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Tourism lnfrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Bureau of lnternal Revenue (BIR).