LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) is bringing its services closer to the public through its mobile Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) and Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) in Laoag City on Friday, March 15.
 
The said activity will be open at Laoag City Auditorium from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for all clients who have migrant visa and spousal or fiance visa.
 
The CFO will offer services including registration for a CFO certificate, PDOS and GCP for Filipino spouses and partners of foreign nationals.
 
Outbound Filipinos will need to present their Overseas Filipinos-CFO Online Registration System (OFCORS) certificate before leaving the country for migration.

During an interview in the Danggay iti Panagdur-as (Partners for Change) radio program, Allan Paul Ducusin, emigrant services officer of the CFO, said the mobile PDOS is also open for clients from the neighboring towns and provinces so they don’t have to travel to the CFO main office in Manila.
 
“We conduct the mobile PDOS every few months, going around provinces. We selected Laoag City for this month because of the high number of migrants in the province,” he said.
 
Based on the CFO record, there are 66,344 migrants from Ilocos Norte.
 
Leading in the data is Laoag City with 14,766 recorded migrants and Bacarra town with 8,162.

Meanwhile, Pauline Pascual, CFO emigrant services officer, said they will be conducting the one-on-one guidance and counseling sessions for clients who have spousal or fiancé visa.
 
“Our objective in the counseling session is to check if the applicant is a prospective victim of human trafficking under the guise of marriage; to check if they are mentally, physically, and financially ready to live abroad; to check their readiness and knowledge of the country they are moving to in case of emergencies; and of course to ensure the general well-being of the clients to make sure that they are not being forced into moving or are victims of domestic abuse,” Pascual said.
 
After completing the PDOS and GCP, clients can claim their OFCORS certificate.
 
Interested clients for the registration of the OFCORS certificate can pre-register through the link https://vcloud.cfo.gov.ph/mobile_pdos_gcp/ or be a walk-in client on the scheduled day.
 
The weekly Danggay iti Panagdur-as radio program airs every Wednesday hosted by Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Ilocos Norte through the DZEA-CMN Laoag City radio station. (JCR/AMB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)