Mindanao emigrants predeparture services made easy

By: Che Palicte

DAVAO CITY – Emigrants from Mindanao will have easier access to the frontline predeparture services of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) with the reopening of its extension office here on May 22.

The CFO-Davao Office is now located at Unit 309, 3rd floor, Pink Walters Building, Quimpo Boulevard, Ecoland area in this city and will be available for clients Mondays-Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In a press briefing Friday, CFO Undersecretary Valery Joy Brion said their digital processing efforts will also be intensified along with the office’s new opening,

“When you register, there will be two options, full online and face-toface. All offices offered the two options,” she said.

Established on June 16, 1980 through Batas Pambansa 79, the CFO is an agency under the Office of the President tasked to promote and uphold Filipino immigrants’ interests, rights, and welfare and strengthen their ties with their home country.

Services offered in the reopening of the CFO satellite office here include a predeparture orientation seminar (PDOS) for those permanently migrating to the United States of America (USA), Canada, and New Zealand which according to Brion are the top destinations.

Counseling services will be provided for those who are marrying foreign spouses, exchange pro - grams, and an Au Pair program for students who want to be immersed in the USA or Europe.

“It is the mandate of the state to protect our citizens. In migration, issues such as vulnerability to trafficking are our concern, so we assure that when we deploy them, they are safe, and they won’t be vulner- able to being trafficked,” Brion said.

She added that the counseling will also involve orientation about the cultural changes they might encounter when they migrate.

For the PDOS, Brion said they can accommodate 25 clients and eight people for counseling dai- ly. “The service we render is very important that’s why we partner with the Department of Justice and Bureau of Immigration to have a whole-of-nation approach to protecting our citizens,” she said.

The public is advised that attendance to the PDOS and Guidance and

Counseling Program is strictly by appointment only, and requests for specific time slots will not be entertained.

Walk-ins are available for senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disability with identification cards, and minors aged 12 and below. (PNA)

LU | from p4

The best that the government can do is develop the country’s rice production. Since the Arroyo administration, efforts have been made to arrest the decline in rice production by launching the rice selfsufficiency program. The program may have hit a snag since the country continues to import rice at a staggering rate. We should rise from our dependency on imported agricultural products and ensure our food security by developing the capacity of farmers to produce food for the population.

It is also alarming that the average age of Filipino farmers is 55 to 59 years old. This shows that the farmers no longer want their children to till their farms since it is not profitable. Many farmers engage in odd jobs to earn an income. They send their children to the cities or abroad to earn more money. Farmers are generally poor. The Philippine Statistics Authority places the poverty incidence of farmers at 31.6 percent. Fisherfolk, who are considered part of the agriculture sector, make up 26.2 percent of the poor.

A sound agricultural program that alleviates the plight of the farmers would drastically reduce the poverty being felt in rural areas. This will also have a good impact on food security if farmers are assisted in production and marketing. We do not want to repeatedly see tons of tomatoes and other food crops being thrown away just because they are not being bought while they are much needed in other provinces.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the foregoing article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) or any other office under the Presidential Communications Office.

(BRIAN JAMES J. LU, MMgt, is an entrepreneur, business adviser, government consultant, and is deeply involve in civil society organizations. He advocates good governance, ethical business practices, and social responsibilities. He is the President of the National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) and Chairman of the Foundation for National Development (Fonad). His broad experiences in the private and public sectors give him a unique perspective to advance his advocacies.)

SAMONTE | from p4 and rightist radicals , and a secessionist movement supported by foreign parties.”

The destabilizing events continued to haunt the government, particularly after the assassination of former opposition Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. at the Manila International Airport upon his return from a three-year self-exile in the United States on Aug. 21, 1983.

With the seemingly unending disturbing events, Marcos was forced to call for a snap presidential and vice presidential elections on Feb. 7, 1986.

The polls proved to be very problematic, ending with both the administration and opposition candidates claiming victories during the vote canvassing.

The escalation of violence caused by such an impasse eventually forced the Marcos family to leave Malacañang after the so-called four-day People Power Revolt that ended on Feb. 25, 1986.

This in turn catapulted the widow of the slain former senator, Mrs. Corazon C, Aquino, to the presidency until June 30, 1992.

During the Cory administration, Barangay Bagong Silang was used by the National Housing Authority (NHA) as a relocation site for numerous informal settlers from Intramuros and other areas in Metro Manila, including those along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

So that was how Bagong Silang became the largest barangay in terms of population and land area in Metro Manila and the entire country instead of being a tree plantation or logging concession area. (PNA)

(He began his journalistic career by contributing to the Liwayway and Bulaklak magazines in the 1960’s. He was the night editor of the Philippine News Service when Martial Law was declared in September 1972. When the Philippine News Agency was organized in March 1973, he was named national news editor because of his news wire service experience.

He retired as executive news editor in 2003. He also served as executive editor of the Malacanang-based Presidential News Desk from 1993 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2008.)