One-stop Filipino service centre launched

The one-stop service centre opened on Monday at the Poea building in Mandaluyong City, east of capital Manila. Jay Directo / AFP

ABU DHABI // A one-stop service centre in Manila will make it easier for Filipinos to obtain the paperwork they need before heading to the UAE.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) living in the Emirates who did not apply for their overseas employment certificates before a trip back to the UAE or who wish to renew their passports no longer need to travel to different government offices to secure their documents.

The service centre opened on Monday at the Philippine overseas employment administration (Poea) building in Mandaluyong City.

The move followed Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s directives to streamline the processes for OFWs.

Last May, Mr Duterte pledged to establish a separate department for OFWs, and promised to crack down on illegal recruiters.

“Our president has once again delivered on his campaign promises,” said Vivian De Hoya, 44, who has lived and worked in the UAE for more than 20 years.

“In previous years, we had to queue as early as 4am and endure long waits at the embassy for the processing and release of our documents.”

At any given day between 2,000 and 3,000 Filipinos can be assisted at the new facility.

With a one-stop system, the average time spent processing an applicant’s documents would be reduced by half, according to Hans Cacdac, who heads the Poea.

“It seems that Duterte is really keen on getting things done,” said Dennis Macanas, 34, a delivery driver in Dubai who queued for a certificate at the Philippine overseas labour office in Abu Dhabi on Monday. “He’s fulfilling his promise to cut red tape in government.”

Applicants can also get their diplomas attested, secure competency assessments and other certificates and documents, and pay or view their membership contributions in various government agencies.

The processing cycle may vary but documents should be issued within 72 hours after filing an application, Mr Cacdac said.

This month Filipinos in the UAE welcomed the new government's decision to scrap the exit certificate for those returning to the same employer or listed on its database.

The pilot scheme, due to run for a month, starts on September 15.