11 November 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General in Agana conducted its 11th Post-Arrival Orientation Seminar (PAOS) for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and newly arrived immigrants in Guam at the Tamuning Senior Citizens and Community Center on November 09.
The 11th PAOS is so far the post-arrival orientation seminar with the biggest number of participants ever conducted by the Consulate General.
A total of 89 participants, consisting mostly of construction/H2B and H1B workers from the different construction companies on Guam, namely, Asian Construction Development Corp., Core Tech, DCK Pacific Guam LLC, Inland Builders, Korando Corporation, Modern International Inc., and Reliable Builders, as well as newly arrived Filipino immigrants in Guam attended the half-day seminar.
Philippine Consul General Marciano R. de Borja welcomed all the participants and guests with great enthusiasm and excitement as he emphasized the importance of the seminar in terms of providing the participants with vital information that might help them adjust well and fast as they work and live in Guam.
The 11th PAOS was held in partnership with the Office of Mayor Louise C. Rivera of the village of Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon, the US Department of Homeland Security/US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS-USCIS), the US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (USDOL-WHD), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Guam Department of Labor (GDOL), Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS), Guam Regional Medical Center (GRMC), Bank of Guam, and the Philippine National Bank.
Invited speakers included Director Stephen P. Green of the DHS-USCIS who discussed the general functions and services of the USCIS and relevant US immigration rules and regulations; Administrator Greg Massey of the Guam Department of Labor Alien Labor Processing and Certification Division; Mr. Dionesis Tamondong of the USDOL-WHD who discussed relevant laws, rules and policies on wages and hour, Mr. Anthony M. Anderson, Administrator of the OSHA on laws and regulations for workers and employers pertaining to occupational safety and health administration, and Ms. Cecilia Arciaga, Program Manager of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control Center, DPHSS, who discussed the general services offered by the DPHSS as well as the topic on Tuberculosis Control Program on Guam and other health related concerns.
Ms. Gloria Long, Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of the Guam Regional Medical Center (GRMC) also spoke about the services of the said hospital that is soon to be opened in Guam. On the other hand, Mr. Romeo Angel, Vice President of the Bank of Guam as well as Mr. Angel Bautista, PR Officer of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) also made a presentation on the services being offered by their respective banks particularly on savings, loans and investments as well as remittance services that may be availed of by the Filipino workers and immigrants.
Consul Mark Francis C. Hamoy gave a presentation on the various consular services being offered by the Philippine Consulate General, including assistance to nationals (ATN).
The 11th PAOS was moderated by Consul Edgar Tomas Q. Auxilian.
Simultaneous with the PAOS, the Philippine Consulate General also conducted the overseas voters registration for those participants who wish to vote as overseas voters in the May 2016 national elections. The Consulate General was able to register a total of 19 new overseas voters. END