During the visit, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, Senator Raffy Tulfo, conducted an unexpected inspection at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Dubai to assess the effectiveness of the services provided to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The main focus was on the work of the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and the Administration for the Provision of Assistance to Migrants (OWWA), institutions playing a key role in assisting OFWs.
Many raised issues related to delays in processing, delays in scheduling, and the quality of client service. In response to these problems, Tulfo turned to the labor attaché Jan Mendoza with a call to enhance the effectiveness of service delivery and improve the relationship with those seeking assistance from OFWs.
He emphasized that many workers visiting the MWO have already encountered problems at their workplaces, and they follow up with support and operational backing in consulting. Another serious problem that was raised was the three-month wait for contract renewal recordings.
To address this issue, he suggested issuing checks immediately after payment to avoid unnecessary delays. Noting that the MWO operates only part-time on Fridays, he immediately contacted Secretary for Migrant Affairs Hans Cacdac with a proposal to extend working hours. Before concluding his visit, Tulfo promised to recommend an additional staff at MWO Dubai to expedite transactions and improve overall service effectiveness.
Preliminary to his visit, Tulfo also reviewed MWO in Al-Riyadh. Cacdac immediately agreed to implement full-time work on Fridays to improve service effectiveness.
Mendoza assured the senator that the recommendations would shortly be implemented. Tulfo stressed the urgency of optimizing the process to reduce delays and provide timely assistance to a larger number of OFWs. He also noted the lengthy wait for receiving checks from contract payments.
