How about expanding the Presidential Action Center (under Executive Order No. 15) in regions where there is a large concentration of Overseas Filipinos (OFs) such as EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), North America, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and ANZUS (Austraila-New Zealand-US Territories). The Presidential Action Center serves as ‘the command center and liaison unit of the Office of the President with various agencies on all requests for assistance, complaints, and grievances from the general public’.
Let’s face it, almost all OFs will not be reintegrating back into Philippine society as the opportunities overseas are better than living and working in the Philippines. OFs have significant contributions in every country they are present in. Every host country and every employer will tell the world that OFs are excellent, talented, friendly, and, most of all, caring skilled workers, artists, professionals or entrepreneurs.
As so-called ‘modern-day heroes’ because of the remittances that have helped keep the country economically afloat, OFs should also be heard where they are. The presence of embassies, consulates and migrant workers offices in the major countries which host OFs does not guarantee that all requests for assistance, complaints, and grievances will reach the president’s ears or his inner circle at Malacanang Palace.
President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. can first start establishing the global Presidential Action Center in the UAE, either in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, covering the EMEA region which has over three million OFs, who are mostly migrant workers compared with the OFs in North America who are considered immigrants.
It will make a lot of sense to have the Presidential Action Center in the UAE where there are two international aviation hubs. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are 8 flight hours to London and Johannesburg, 7 flight hours to Milan, 5.5 flight hours to Kenya, 4 flight hours to Cairo and Tel Aviv, 3 flight hours to Jeddah and Amman, 2 flight hours to Riyadh, 1.5 flight hours to Kuwait, and 1 flight hour to Doha. This would be practical in case of an emergency response to any major incident involving OFs in the region.
