The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday told envoys deployed in different countries to better services as the number of distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) continue to climb.
During a two-day command conference with the country’s ambassadors and consuls held in Taguig City, Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano instructed them to focus their duties on distressed OFWs in their areas.
Cayetano also assured the envoys that Philippine foreign service posts will “have all the support and resources they need to allow them to serve our people quicker and better.”
Cayetano reminded the officials of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s call for improvements in services of foreign posts to “more effectively serve our kababayans abroad.”
“The President expects us to look after the needs of our people and we will do just that,” he said.
The ambassadors and consuls were also briefed on passport and consular-related issues. Utilizing the power of social media in achieving goals of the country to serve OFWs was also tackled.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola, aside from the issues of OFWs, other issues that affect Filipinos overseas including migration, security, extremism, and terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region were also discussed.
