BOARD MEETING. The commissioners of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas pose for a photo after their meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 20, 2024). The members are (from left) Senior State Counsel Nancy Lozano of Department of Justice, Undersecretary Cherbett Karen Maralit of the Presidential Communications Office, Executive Director Bernadette Mendoza of the Department of Foreign Affairs, CFO chairperson Secretary Romulo Arugay, Assistant Secretary Christopher Morales of the Department of Tourism, CFO Executive Director Valery Joy Brion and Dr. Margarita Ballestros of the Department of Education. (Contributed photo)
MANILA – To touch base with migrant Filipinos in Japan, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) will establish its first attaché office in the East Asian country.
In his welcome remarks at the CFO Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Secretary Romulo Arugay said the welfare and interest of Filipinos overseas have been elevated to the forefront, being a top priority of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“President Marcos has consistently emphasized the importance of safeguarding the rights and well-being of our overseas Filipinos, expressing his heartfelt desire to support them in every possible way,” Arugay said.
As the primary agency dedicated to overseas Filipino permanent residents, he said the CFO has redoubled its efforts to translate this commitment into concrete actions and services.
To further uphold the interests, rights, and welfare of Filipino emigrants while fostering strong ties with the Filipino diaspora worldwide, the CFO is charting toward expansion and innovation, both within and across international borders.
This year, the CFO is also set to open a satellite office in Baguio City, while other provinces such as Cagayan de Oro City, Iloilo City, and Dumaguete City are in the pipeline.
Currently, the CFO has satellite offices in Cebu City and Davao City.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary for Operations, Administration, Finance, and GOCCs (Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations) Cherbett Karen Maralit said additional offices will give migrating Filipinos better and easier access to CFO programs and services.
“This is already funded under the 2024 GAA (General Appropriations Act) in the amount of PHP15 million,” Maralit told the Philippine News Agency, referring to the Japan office.
“They are studying the possibility of opening attaché offices, too, in South Korea and Switzerland in the future, in coordination with the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs),” she added.
In 2023, the CFO registered a total of 96,111 Filipino emigrants, with the United States, New Zealand, and Canada, topping the destination countries.
From 1981 to 2021, there had been a total of 157,708 CFO-registered emigrants in Japan, Arugay said. (PNA)
