Outbound Call Center Featured Article

DOLE 24/7 Call Center Contributed To the Safe Reparation of Hundreds of OFWs in Libya

By Madhubanti Rudra
TMCnet Contributor

Philippine’s Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recently reported the achievement of its 24/7 call center in assisting the individuals and families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who got stuck in the middle of Libyan crisis. Since the Libyan crisis began, the Call Center helped in the process of safe reparation of more than 4,000 OFWs.

In a press release, the department described how its 24/7 call center contributed to the reparation of hundreds of Filipinos working abroad. The call center promptly attended the calls and referred them instantly to DOLE ground teams. After locating the stranded families, the DOLE ground team secured their safe repatriation to the country.

As soon as the Libya crisis erupted, the call center immediately went into a 24X7 mode and started responding to the calls of OFW families in distress. To be precise, DOLE Call Center started its 24/7 monitoring on February 24, 2011 and received calls from families and relatives of OFWs in Libya on February 25, 2011.

The center helped speed up the rescue process through quick referrals and frequent follow through, in a report to Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, Labor Communications Office (LCO) Director and DOLE Call Center Head Nicon F. Fameronag disclosed. The entire initiative is in accordance to the DOLE Administrative Order No. 64, series of 2011, issued by the Secretary, the officials informed through a press release.

In the report, the first request for assistance came from Glenda Cruz, Fameronag said. Cruz’s relative, Anselmo Cruz, was having problems with his repatriation as his clearance was on hold. It was an uncertain situation for Cruz, as his other co-workers of other nationalities were already leaving for their respective countries. The Call Center closely coordinated with the DOLE Task Force on Libya and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and relayed all the information and requests of Cruz to concerned offices for proper assistance and disposition.

Fameronag also cited the case of Joel Reveriza, and his group of 145 Filipinos in Nalut, Libya, who were being prevented by Libyans to pass through Tripoli because they did not have their passports. As the call center instantly passed the information to the Task Force and OWWA, the people on the ground immediately started looking for Reveriza’s group and helped them safely reach the borders for eventual repatriation.

Fameronag took great pride in his officials’ ability in staying alert and always on their toes to immediately respond to the distress calls and queries of families or kin of OFWs affected by the Libyan crisis. They were also proved very efficient in giving feedback on action taken regarding the assistance requests.

In his report, Fameronag said that the DOLE Call Center continues to assist all OFWs and their families in distress in other parts of the world, including those of earthquake-hit New Zealand and Japan.

In December 2010, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration recorded a "downtrend" in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the first ten months of 2010. POEA Deputy Administrator Stella Banawis said there was a 3-percent drop in the number of OFWs deployed from January to October.