1. Title III: Services to Overseas
Filipino Workers

2. Part A. Welfare Assistance to
Overseas Filipino Workers

3. WHAT ARE THE BASIC ASSISTANCE AND SERVICES
PROVIDED AT POLOs?
Counselling
Conciliation/Legal Advice
Medical and Hospital Assistance, Representation and Onsite
Visitations
Provision of Temporary Shelter to Workers in Distress
Skills Training, Capability-Building and Reintegration Services
Special Operations

4. Part B. Case Handling and
Management

5. • For work-related complaints, the procedure starts upon receipt of
complaints and upon settlement/resolution of the case at the level of
the POLO or upon referral of the case to the competent authority.
• For criminal/police cases, such as sexual abuse, physical injuries,
accident, death, drugs and alcohol, and immigration/deportation
cases, the procedure stats from the initial interview of the
complainant or alleged victim and ends upon the referral of the
complaint to the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) section at post.

6. REMEMBER:
Section 38 of the POLO Manual provides for specific actions to be taken
which are Household Service Workers (HSWs) and other Vulnerable
Workers and Workers in Distress.

7. Part C. Repatriation: Policies and
Guidelines

8. GENERAL GUIDELINES AND POLICIES
 Repatriation of an OFW or his/her remains, transport of his/her
personal effects up to allowable free baggage allowance of the carrier
is the primary responsibility of the principal or local agency that
recruited or deployed him/her abroad.

9.  Notwithstanding the provision for repatriation covered by the
compulsory insurance provision of RA 10022, the primary
responsibility to repatriate entails the obligations on the part of the
principal or local agency to advance the repatriation and other
attendant cost, including plane fare, deployment cost of the principal
and immigration fines and penalties, to immediately repatriate the
worker should the need for it arises, without a prior determination of
the cause of the termination of the worker’s employment. However,
after the worker has returned to the country, the principal or local
agency may recover the cost of repatriation from the worker if the
termination of employment was due solely to his/her fault.

10. • The employer or principal shall be primarily responsible for securing
the exit visa/permit at no cost to the worker and shall have fifteen
(15) days from notice to secure such exit visa/permit.
• If the principal and/or agency fail to secure the exit visa/permit within
a period of 15 days from receipt of POEA notice, the POEA shall
suspend the principal from participating in the overseas employment
program, and may impose suspension of documentary processing on
the agency, if warranted.

11. • Mandatory repatriation of underage Migrant Workers
• Repatriation of medically ill worker
• Recommending repatriation in certain circumstance
• In cases of failure of the employer and/or agency to provide
repatriation expenses, the repatriation cost shall be advanced by
OWWS from its repatriation funds for active OWWA members
• For irregular/undocumented/non-labor and employment related
cases/ATNU cases, repatriation cost may be charge to the
workers’/employers’ account, FPA or OUMWA-DFA repatriation funds.