11 August 2020, Calgary – The Philippine Consulate
General (PCG) in Calgary hosted on 7 August 2020 its third Online Forum
Education Series featuring Labor Attaché Atty.
Margarita Victorino of the Philippine
Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and Welfare Officer Lilia De Guzman of the Overseas Workers
Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The
Vancouver-based POLO and OWWA offices cover the provinces of Alberta and
Saskatchewan, which are under the jurisdiction of PCG in Calgary.
Consul General
Zaldy Patron, in his welcome remarks, referred to POLO and OWWA as the PCG’s
partners in promoting the rights and welfare of Filipino temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in Alberta
and Saskatchewan.
Atty. Victorino
and Ms. De Guzman explained the various programs and services of POLO and OWWA for the Filipino TFWs.
Atty. Victorino underscored POLO’s
mandate of promoting and implementing the overseas employment program of its
head agency, the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). POLO
ensures that the rights of the Filipino TFWs are recognized and respected,
including seeing to it that the labor conditions of the Filipino TFWs are
consistent with Philippine laws as well as the laws of the host government.
Likewise, POLO oversees the employment contract verification process to make
sure that the hiring and deployment of Filipino TFWs are aligned with the
respective laws of the Philippines and the host government.
Ms. De Guzman, on the other hand, detailed the social benefits programs, education and training assistance programs, workers welfare assistance programs, and social services and family welfare services that OWWA offers for its members.
The online forum
was done via Zoom and broadcasted live on the PCG’s Facebook page.
Atty. Victorino
urged Filipino TFWs not to hesitate to reach out to the PCG, POLO, or OWWA if
they need assistance, saying that these offices are open to all Filipino
workers regardless of their status in their host country.
Ms. De Guzman, for her part, encouraged Filipino TFWs to become OWWA members so they could fully enjoy OWWA’s services. With the ongoing pandemic, OWWA-Vancouver is now accepting applications by mail, as opposed to the mandatory in-person filing of applications prior to the pandemic.
