PH labor office briefs Filipino teachers in Maryland-DC area on services

Filipino teachers from Maryland and DC gather at the Carlos P. Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy on Nov. for a meet-and-greet with Embassy officials. CONTRIBUTED

WASHINGTON, D.C.– The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Washington DC (POLO-WDC) organized a town hall meeting with Filipino teachers from Maryland and the capital met Philippine overseas labor officials on Saturday, Nov. at the Philippine Embassy’s Carlos P. Romulo Hall.

The gathering was the third of the meet-and-greet series launched by Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Washington DC (POLO-WDC) this year to open an avenue for overseas workers to raise their concerns and inform them of the programs and services being offered by the embassy.

The teachers expressed their support for POLO-WDC’s programs, including the campaign against trafficking of Filipino teachers in the United States. Other issues raised by the teachers were the exorbitant fees and other unethical practices of recruitment agencies in the Philippines.

Labor Attaché Angela Librado-Trinidad, Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez and Consul General Renato Pedro Villa field various questions at the Q&A session with the teachers. CONTRIBUTED

A Financial Orientation Seminar facilitated by Marinela Alvero, registered representative of Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc. briefed the teachers on issues such as retirement income, healthcare costs, strategies on lowering taxes, and assets management, among others.

Following the orientation was a dialogue led by Philippine Embassy Consul General Renato Pedro O. Villa, Labor Attaché Angela Librado-Trinidad, and Welfare Officer Josephine Tobia, where the teachers learned more about Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) and POLO-OWWA services. Villa said the teachers must also secure their retirement through Pag-IBIG, SSS and other social service institutions in the Philippines.

Welfare Officer Josephine Tobia likewise reminded the teachers to renew their membership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and briefed them about the newly launched E-card program.