31 March 2014 – Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs conducted a management audit at the Philippine Embassy in Beirut from March 26 to 28. Assistant Secretary Petronila P. Garcia of the Office of Middle East and African Affairs and Assistant Secretary Melita S. Thomeczek of the Office of Personnel and Administrative Services visited Lebanon as part of their Working Visit and Management Audit of Philippine Embassies in the region. The said visit is part of the commitment of the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Philippine Congress to enhance its delivery of consular and Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) services and to ensure utmost protection of the rights of Filipino workers overseas.
The Assistant Secretaries inspected the Philippine Embassy’s MWOFRC (Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Resource Center) in the afternoon of March 26. They were able to interact and have candid discussions with the 26 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) currently staying in the Embassy’s shelter. They also received positive feedback from the Filipino workers with regard to how their labor and immigration-related problems and concerns are being handled and addressed by the joint efforts of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Embassy’s ATN Section.
The two officials subsequently met with the entire Embassy personnel, as well as those from POLO-OWWA (Beirut), to introduce the pertinent details of the Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) which tackles current procedures on how the Department of Foreign Affairs and its Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) would be dealing with cases of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior by its officials. The Assistant Secretaries also conducted a Gender Sensitivity Seminar in order to remind and orient Embassy personnel—particularly ATN, POLO and OWWA front-liners—about the sensitivities that they have to observe and be conscious of every time they interact, assist and deal with distressed Filipino workers seeking their help, especially female OFWs.
On March 27, the Philippine Embassy officials namely Vice Consul Rona Beth G. Goce, Vice Consul Dennis John C. Briones and Philippin Ambassador to Lebanon Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz made a presentation on the administrative arrangements between the Embassy, POLO and OWWA; the working relationship between the said offices with regard to the proper and efficient handling of ATN cases; and, the political and security situation in Lebanon, which is continuously being updated for the effective implementation of the Embassy’s Contingency Plan.
The Assistant Secretaries were also briefed on the important details and the step-by-step procedures on how the Embassy, POLO and OWWA address the ATN, labor and welfare concerns of Filipino workers in Lebanon, and on how the Embassy ascertains that these services are provided to OFWs in the most efficient and safest way possible—while remaining conscious of the worker’s vulnerabilities and maintaining utmost sensitivity regarding his or her gender.
Assistant Secretaries Garcia and Thomeczek left Lebanon via the Rafic Hariri International Airport in the afternoon of March 28. They will be heading next to Amman, Jordan and then to Tel Aviv, Israel for the rest of their Working Visit to Philippine Embassies in the region. END