TUGUEGARAO CITY -- In order to make government services more accessible to Filipinos who are presently working or planning to work outside the country, a One-Stop Service Center for OFWs (OSSCO) is set to open in Santiago City on March 9.
The OSSCO is expected to ease the access of information, processing of documents, and may reduce transportation expenses of OFWs as the services needed are already located in one center.
The main role of the agencies involved in the OSSCO are as follows:
- Department of Foreign Affairs -- passport services;
- Overseas Workers Welfare Administration -- processing or renewal of OWWA membership;
- Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration -- Documentation and registration of workers, legal assistance, verification of OFW records, status of overseas recruitment agencies and response to other queries;
- Professional Regulation Commission -- Renewal of ID and certification of ratings;
- Technical Education and Skills Development Authority -- competency assessment, verification of certificates and special order, training or scholarship assistance;
- Home Development Mutual Fund -- Pag-IBIG membership;
- Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) -- Membership and updating;
- Social Security System -- Registration and membership, response to queries on loans and benefit claims;
- Philippine Statistics Authority -- Issuance of live birth, marriage, death, and no marriage certificates;
- National Bureau of Investigation -- Issuance of NBI clearance;
- Commission on Higher Education -- verification and authentication of school credentials;
- Bureau of Immigration -- Departure clearance;
- Philippine National Police -- issuance of Police Clearance;
- Bureau of Internal Revenue -- response to queries; and
- Department of Labor and Employment – overall coordinator.
The OSSCO that is to be established in Santiago City will not only cater to OFWs from the city and the province of Isabela but also those from Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya.
The establishment of OSSCO in Santiago City was made possible through the support of the Santiago city government and national government agencies.
The center is located at the Integrated Terminal Complex, Malvar, Santiago City and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays starting March 9.
For any queries about the OSSCO, OFWs or their family members may call the DOLE-Region 2 Hotline 09167879705. (PR)
