Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday said that it will soon open a call center that would cater to the concerns of overseas Filipino workers.
\”Ang iniisip namin, talagang, if I may call it sa ngayon, [for the] lack of a better term, mega monitoring and call center. Maliit na siguro ang 50 hanggang 100 na magmo-monitor ng calls,\” said DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac in a Congressional Oversight Committee Meeting.
[Translation: What we are envisioning is, if I may call it for lack of a better term, a mega monitoring and call center. The least we could have is around 50 to 100 people to monitor the calls.]
\”But kailangan ng budgetary support ito kasi magha-hire tayo ng additional personnel, which includes OFWs and OFW dependents,\” he added.
[Translation: But this needs budgetary support, because we will hire additional personnel, which include OFWs and their dependents.]
The DMW said that the call center is expected to open within the year.
\”Itatayo pa lamang yung call center from the DMW site. Nangangako kami na within this year, maybe at the earliest possible time, hindi kailangan maghintay ng Disyembre ito,\” said Cacdac.
[Translation: The call center will be built from the DMW site. We promise to open it within this year. Maybe at the earliest possible time, it will open before December.]
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which has become an attached agency to the DMW, already has a hotline for questions or concerns related to OFWs.
But once the call center opens, there could be a new single hotline for all OFW-related concerns.
\”Pwede naman po pag-usapan kung ito ay matter lamang ng kailangan magkaroon ng single number, pwede naman po pag-usapan ito with [OWWA] Administrator Arnell [Ignacio],\” said Cacdac.
