CFO Services for Overseas Filipino Workers and Filipino Immigrants
(Updated Mar 3 2007)
Programme Area I: Migrant Social and Economic Integration
The overall objective of this programme is to ensure that all Filipinos
migrating to other countries are adequately prepared to meet the practical
and psychological problems attendant to international migration.
The Migrant Social and Economic Integration Programme will undertake
activities designed to provide Filipino emigrants with adequate structured
information and advice about all aspects of migration to their countries
of destination, as well as assistance in achieving early social and
economic adjustment within their new environment.
This programme also provides for a continuing linkage with registered
Filipino migrants, and a means by which migrants can be assisted by
cooperating organizations in the process of adjustment and settlement
in their host countries.
It will also assist in promoting and facilitating the reintegration
of returning migrants into the Filipino national mainstream.
> Pre-Departure Registration and Orientation Seminar
Pre-Departure Registration
Filipino emigrants or those leaving the country to settle permanently
abroad are required to register with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas
(CFO). Part of its registration requirements is attendance in the
Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) to prepare them for settlement
overseas. Those who are 12 years old and below are exempt from attending
the PDOS. They must, however, be registered, even if by proxy. Children
of emigrants, aged 13 to 19, are required to attend the Peer Counseling
Program to help facilitate their adjustment to a new environment.
The registration of Filipino emigrants started in 1981, or a year
after the CFO was created. The registration process generates an information
resource on Filipino emigrants, which provides reference for policy
formulation and program development.
Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars (PDOS)
Country-specific pre-departure orientation seminars are conducted
for departing Filipino emigrants to address their adjustment concerns
in their destination countries. In these seminars, various topics
are discussed such as:
* Travel regulations;
* Immigration procedures;
* Cultural differences;
* Settlement concerns;
* Employment and social security concerns; and
* Rights and obligations of Filipino migrants.
> Guidance and Counseling Services
Per Republic Act 8239 and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Order
28-94, Filipinos proceeding abroad as fiancé(e)s and spouses
of foreign nationals are required to attend the CFO's guidance and
counseling programs as a pre-requisite to the issuance of passports.
The objective of this program is to help Filipino fiancé(e)s
and spouses of foreign nationals make informed decisions regarding
their marriage to foreign nationals and to prepare them for their
adjustments in cross-cultural marriages.
Among others, Filipino fiancé(e)s and spouses are provided
with the following information:
* Migration laws affecting them;
* Welfare and support services available abroad;
* Rights of migrants overseas; and
* Coping up with problematic or difficult domestic situations.
> Peer Counseling
Counseling services are conducted for departing children of Filipino
emigrants aged thirteen to nineteen (13 to 19) years old.
This service responds to the needs of young Filipino emigrants by
helping them cope with change in their social environment. The sessions
provide them with information that will help facilitate their adjustment
in a new environment.
Counseling sessions are conducted through group dynamics to surface
expectations and anticipated changes brought about by settlement in
a new country.
> Post Arrival Services
To complement the pre-departure services provided in the Philippines,
the Commission on Filipinos Overseas encourages overseas-based Filipino
associations, welfare groups and other private organizations to provide
post arrival services to newly arrived Filipino immigrants. The program
aims to provide Filipino migrants with relevant information that will
enable them to adjust and cope with the demands of settlement in a
new country.
Post arrival services include language courses, orientation programs,
and networking or referral services to employment agencies, migrant
resource groups, and other Filipino associations within the area of
settlement.
> Public Information and Education Program
Community Education Program
The Community Education Program (CEP) is an annual information campaign
conducted by the CFO in coordination with various government agencies,
non-government organizations, local government units and academic
institutions. The program seeks to assist prospective migrants in
making informed decisions regarding working or migrating abroad, as
well as generate community involvement on migration concerns. It also
aims to raise public awareness on various issues concerning migration,
intermarriages and existing government policies and programs directed
against illegal recruitment, documentation fraud and trafficking in
persons, among others.
Magbiyahe: Pilipino Style Video
The Magbiyahe: Pilipino Style Video is a video production produced
by CFO and co-sponsored by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone
Company (PLDT) which aims to inform passport applicants of the realities
of migration and situations Filipino travelers may experience and
encounter when preparing to travel or live abroad. Said video is shown
to passport applicants at the Department of Foreign Affairs including
its 10 regional offices in the Philippines and to Filipino emigrants
at the CFO.
Public Assistance Services
CFO regularly provides assistance or referrals in response to various
requests by Filipino emigrants and their families. Requests involve
cases of trafficking, domestic violence, adoption, child support,
sham marriages, blacklisting, whereabouts, document verification,
immigration, repatriation, employment-related concerns, among others.
CFO also responds to requests for emigrant data and statistics from
the other government agencies, private sector, academe, media and
civil society.
Pre-departure Briefings at the Foreign Service Institute
To orient departing foreign service officers (FSOs) and employees
and service attaches of various government agencies on the services
and programs of the Commission, CFO participates in the quarterly
pre-departure briefings organized by the Foreign Service Institute.
Topics also include trafficking issues, policies concerning the management
and operation of Philippine schools overseas, processing of overseas
donations, and the elements of contingency plans to be submitted by
Posts, among others. Participating officers were posted in Philippine
embassies and consulates in Asia-Pacific, Europe, North & South
America, Africa, and the Middle East.
Educational Modules on International Migration and Development
The Educational Modules on International Migration and Development
project seeks to integrate issues and concerns on international migration
into the social studies and values education subjects in the elementary
and high school levels. It aims to provide a systematic and comprehensive
mechanism for disseminating information on migration realities and
concerns, and at the same time, emphasize the values of patriotism,
love of country, and pride in the Filipino culture and heritage among
Filipino students.
The project also aims to purposely prepare potential migrants about
migration realities and to help them make informed decisions. The
integration of such learning areas in the Philippine curriculum will
also be extended to the tertiary level.
Migrants Advisory Information System
The Migrants Advisory Information System (MAIS) is a computer-based
information tool that aims to address the information needs of our
countrymen who are considering migration as an option.
It covers four (4) specific areas:
* Country Profile of Filipino Migrants' Destination Countries
* Profile of Migrants Support Groups and Welfare Organizations Overseas
* Profile of Filipino Organizations Overseas
* List of Philippine Embassies and Consulates
More information at http://www.cfo.gov.ph
ofw info hub 