STARTING July 1, requests for government assistance for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 27 countries will now be handled by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced yesterday.
In a statement, the DFA said it is set to turn over its Assistance-To-Nationals (ATN) functions for OFWs to the DMW in accordance with Republic Act No. 11641 or the law creating the department for Filipino migrant workers.
“The public is requested to refer to the DMW all requests for assistance involving OFWs (whether documented or undocumented) situated in countries/territories with resident Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs),” the DFA said.
“All assistance cases involving OFWs, including legal or medical assistance, repatriation, and shipment of remains, shall now be handled by the DMW, except in countries where there are no resident MWOs,” it added.
Countries with resident MWOs include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.
Also having their respective MWOs are Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada, and United States of America.
As for OFWs in areas with no resident MWOs and all other Filipino nationals abroad, the DFA said it will continue to provide them the needed assistance.
Such Filipino nationals include students, tourists, dual citizens, and permanent residents, among others.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs shall continue to be responsible for assisting them through its Assistance To Nationals (ATN) and Legal Assistance Funds (LAF),” said the DFA.
The public may request the DFA for assistance through telephone number: 88344996; email: oumwa@dfa.gov.ph; or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OFWHelpPH.
