Secretaries of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the newly formed Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) met on Tuesday to tackle the turnover of the assistance program for distressed overseas Filipinos.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople engaged in broad ranging discussions on the transition of the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) functions to DMW, including on training for DMW personnel, exchange of information on ATN processes, organization development, and continued close cooperation between Philippine Embassies, Consulates, and Migrants Workers Offices (MWOs, formerly the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices or POLOs) overseas under the One Country Team Approach.
Manalo welcomed Ople’s earlier announcement that the DMW is ready to assume the responsibility of ATN for OFWs by the end of June.
In accordance with Republic Act 11641, the DFA will continue to provide ATN services to overseas Filipinos who are not OFWs. It will also continue its ATN services for OFWs in jurisdictions where there are no resident MWOs.
