PRESS RELEASE
PR-027-2023
(16 February 2023, Singapore) – The Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Section of the Philippine Embassy in Singapore, the Migrant Workers Office (MWO)-Singapore and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) held a consultation meeting on 15 February 2023.
The ATN Section provided a briefing on the cases it has been handling, such as criminal and other legal cases, immigration cases and death cases, and outlined its standard operating procedures relative to prison visits, court hearings and shipment of remains. It likewise shared its case files with the MWO, for the latter’s reference and for planning purposes.
Republic Act 11641, which was signed into law by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 30 December 2021, created the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and its operating arms abroad, the Migrant Workers’ Offices (MWOs), which will be the prime Philippine government agency and offices overseeing the welfare of overseas Filipino workers. RA 11641 consolidates under the DMW’s jurisdiction the OFW-related functions formerly undertaken by other government agencies, including ATN services, over which the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) used to exercise oversight functions. ATN services, which involve assisting overseas Filipino nationals who are in distress, are central to the third pillar of Philippine foreign policy, namely, to protect the welfare and interests of Filipinos abroad.
The briefing is part of the Embassy’s ongoing efforts to ensure a smooth transition, in line with the Joint Circular of the DFA and DMW dated 01 February 2023, which aims to fully turn over ATN functions by 31 March 2023. The ATN Section committed that it will continue to assist the MWO by giving additional training and taking the lead in subsequent consultation meetings. END.
