CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga -The second One Stop Shop for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) was formally opened on Friday here.
Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arturo Tugade led the opening of the center which is located at the Clark Polytechnic, a few kilometers from Clark International Airport.
“This is part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s program to provide convenience to our OFWs, mostly working in the Middle East and other parts of world. They can now go to Clark to transact their requirements for their convenience,” Bello said.
“This is the second one stop shop center for OFWs and it is near the Clark International Airport,” he said.
The first One Stop Shop for OFWs is located at the ground floor of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s main office at Blas F. Ople Building in Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City.
Bello also said that they will put up the same centers in other parts of the country such as in San Fernando La Union, Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City,
At the same time, Bello said that Clark Airport is being geared as the next alternative airport to ease decongestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila.
“There is now a move to transfer several flights at Clark Airport, and the establishment of the one stop shop in Clark is timely,” he added.
Tugade, for his part, said that the establishment of the One Stop Shop Center in Clark is part of the requirements of international carriers, especially those from the Middle East.
Tugade also said that the facility in Clark will benefit OFWs mostly residing in Central and Northern Luzon who fly at Clark International Airport.
“The one stop shop center is now open and operational for the convenience of the OFWs,” he said.
The opening of the center were also attended by former President and Pampanga’s second district Rep. Gloria Macapaga lArroyo, Governor Lilia Pineda, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, former Nueva Ecija Rep. Renato Diaz, CIAC president Alxander Cauguiran and CDC president Noel Manankil.
The DOTr and DOLE took the lead for the establishment of the said center at Clark.
The Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) also provided support for the establishment of the facility.
The new facility is home to 16 government agencies such as Bureau of Immigration (BI), Philhealth, Pag-Ibig Fund, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare (OWWA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC),
Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Social Security System(SSS), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) and BayadCenter.
The one-stop-shop center will provide services such as the processing of the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), NBI clearances , the Pag-Ibig OFW members contributions, Philhealth payment premium contributions and members registration, SSS registration and membership data amendment, including acceptance of loans and benefits claim applications, PSA’s processing and issuance of birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, and certificate of no marriage record (CENOMAR)
MARINA’s issuance and revalidation of seamans’ book, issuance of PRC’s professional license and TESDA’s issuance of training certifications and applications for scholarship programs will also be facilitated in the center.The facility is also equipped with a WiFi internet connection for the convenience of the agencies and the OFWs./PNA/FPV/ZST/MDDR