Philippines opens largest OFW service center in Taipei, eyes expansion

Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) The Philippines opened its largest overseas Filipino worker (OFW) service center in Taipei on Sunday, with hopes of establishing two more in central and southern Taiwan over the next two years, according to the country's Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Speaking to CNA after the opening ceremony, OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said the OFW Global Center-Taipei is the third such facility worldwide, following centers in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. It is also the largest to date.

The center is located in the same building as the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the Philippines' de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, in Taipei's Neihu District.

It is designed as a one-stop hub where Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan can access government services, welfare assistance and training without returning to the Philippines.

The facility includes training spaces, a café offering free coffee, a karaoke room and areas for government services. Planned activities include Mandarin classes, financial literacy programs, computer and artificial intelligence training, and courses on content creation and entrepreneurship, according to Caunan.

"Skills are the best protection for migrant workers. You can never take away skills," Caunan said, adding that the training can help workers pursue new career opportunities or start businesses after returning to the Philippines.

The administrator also highlighted the emotional challenges faced by migrant workers living away from their families, saying the center will provide counseling and opportunities for social interaction to help address feelings of homesickness.

"Just walk in and make sure that you make yourself comfortable in our café," Caunan said when asked how Filipino migrant workers can access the center's services.

Plans for expansion

Regarding plans to expand the service network in Taiwan, Caunan said the OWWA hopes to establish similar centers in Taichung and Kaohsiung, in central and southern Taiwan, respectively, over the next two years, with feasibility studies underway.

"We don't want our OFWs in Kaohsiung to travel all the way to Taipei just to experience this," Caunan said, adding that the proposed centers will likely be located near MECO's offices in the two cities.

MECO Chairperson Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos said the new center in Taipei reflected the Philippine government's commitment to supporting its citizens overseas.

"Wherever our Filipinos may be, the care and support of our government must remain within their reach," she said in her remarks at the opening ceremony.

OFWs welcome new center

Among those welcoming the center was Geraldine G. Domingo, 54, a Taipei-based caregiver who has worked in Taiwan for 12 years.

"This is very convenient now because everything is here already, what a Filipino overseas worker needs," Domingo said.

She was particularly interested in Mandarin classes to help Filipino workers communicate with Taiwanese employers and friends, and also supported opening centers elsewhere in Taiwan.

Judith Vidal Mendoza, 37, another Taipei-based caregiver who has worked in Taiwan for eight years, said the facility would make Philippine government services more accessible.

"For me, as an OFW, it is very important for us to have access," Mendoza said, referring to document processing services that Filipino workers need while living abroad.

She said migrant workers often have to take time away from their jobs to handle administrative procedures and hoped the center would offer faster document processing and additional services.

Taiwan had around 191,000 Filipino blue-collar migrant workers as of the end of August, including more than 61,000 in Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan, three special municipalities in northern Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Labor.