The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has served about 1,263 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, delivering a total of 4,047 government transactions, as it continues to roll out the Bagong Bayani ng Mundo: OFW Serbisyo Caravan across major overseas Filipino communities.
In a news release on Wednesday, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the Jeddah leg of the Serbisyo Caravan was held from Aug. 8 to 9 and will proceed to Al Khobar on Aug. 15 and 16.
“The OFW Serbisyo Caravan in Jeddah is the sixth leg of the flagship program of the DMW in fulfillment of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to bring government services closer to the people,” he said.
Previous Serbisyo Caravans were held in Hong Kong, Riyadh, Osaka, Doha, and Dubai.
“Some 11,545 OFWs were served by the department and 16 other government agencies, with 29,044 transactions in these caravans,” he added.
Cacdac attributed the success of the Jeddah caravan to the close coordination and cooperation of both government personnel and the Filipino community volunteers.
He said organizations such as the OFW Council of Leaders, Guardians International, The Fraternal Order of Eagles–Philippine Eagles, and the Philippine Nurses Association in Jeddah, mobilized at least a hundred of their members to assist in crowd management, registration, and guidance of OFWs availing the services of various government agencies during the two-day caravan.
Cacdac, together with Undersecretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay and Assistant Secretary Francis Ron de Guzman, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Administrator Ryan Uy, and Philippine Consul General Rommel Romato, honored the volunteers and handed them certificates of appreciation, in a fellowship shortly after the second day of the caravan.
“Salamat sa inyo, naipahiwatig natin ang pagmamahal sa ating mga kababayan. Gusto ko ring sabihin ang pagpapahiwatig naman sa ating pagmamahalan sa pamumuno po ng ating Pangulong (Thanks to you, we have been able to express our love for our countrymen. I would also like to express our love for the leadership of our President) Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.,” Cacdac told the volunteers.
The Serbisyo Caravan is being done under the administration’s One Country Team Approach, which is a whole-of-government strategy for overseas Filipinos.
Among the government services availed of were the issuance of OWWA E-cards, national IDs, and civil registry documents such as birth, marriage, death certificates, and Certificates of No Marriage Record.
Parallel repatriation efforts
Meanwhile, coinciding with the caravan, the DMW also facilitated the return of 24 distressed OFWs from Jeddah through coordinated efforts with the OWWA and the Philippine Consulate General.
The DMW welcomed the safe return to the country of 16 OFWs who arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Monday, and another group of eight on Tuesday.
The repatriates who were previously sheltered at the Bahay Kalinga in Jeddah were immediately provided with financial aid, temporary accommodation, transportation to their home provinces, and medical assistance. (PNA)