MANILA, 9 October 2003 — To answer queries from relatives of distressed Overseas Filipino Workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has put up a center to receive text messages sent via cell phones.
Called the “TXTDFA Program,” the new service is meant to make life easier of especially for those from the provinces, said Undersecretary Jose Brillantes of the Office of the Undersecretary on Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA).
A press statement issued by the department yesterday said the OUMWA receives text messages inquiring about shipment of remains of dead relatives abroad, missing husbands, illegal recruitment cases and other concerns. “We have assigned a staff complement to respond to these queries during office hours. Text messages sent after 5 pm would receive a corresponding reply on the following day,” the statement quoted Brillantes as saying.
It cited a message sent by an unnamed citizen, which enabled the department to inform the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait about the alleged maltreatment of a Filipino domestic helper by her employer.
“The service enables us to act with dispatch on these reports since we get instantaneous information about such cases for verification and appropriate action by our foreign posts,” Brillantes said in the statement.
In case a message does not fall under the jurisdiction of the DFA, he said, these would be referred to other agencies, such as the Department of Labor and Employment.
Subscribers of Smart need to type “DFA” and send the message to No. 287. Globe subscribers should send their message to No. 2287.
The message sender would receive a reply with a menu of options ranging from OFW assistance to directory of embassies and passport queries.
The subscriber can then choose from these options thus getting in touch directly with the DFA.
“The program includes the addresses and contact numbers of our embassies and consulates abroad as well as foreign embassies and consulates based in the Philippines. This provides easy and instant access for all Filipinos who wish to get in touch with any of these embassies,” it explained.
Brillantes said OFWs may also register their whereabouts and mobile phone numbers with the DFA through the program. “This would enable the department to get in touch with these OFWs immediately in case of emergencies,” he said.
Prospective applicants for passports could also get information about the requirements so that they could prepare all requirements before going to the DFA.
