Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
EXPLANATORY NOTE
There are over 2.8 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as of
September 2018, and their numbers only keep growing. Dubbed as our
modern-day heroes, OFWs brave through relocating to another foreign country
for jobs with higher-paying salaries to provide a better life for their families
back here in the Philippines. More than being significant drivers of our
economy through their remittances, OFWs are symbols of perseverance, hard
work, and resilience.
Many of these OFWs are probinsyanos who are now employed as
seafarers, office staff, domestic helpers, artist performers, caregivers, teachers,
nurses, engineers, doctors, and skilled workers and laborers all over the world.
Sadly, when processing important documents and other matters especially
when they come home, they are constrained to spend time in Metro Manila
where agencies are located, lessening their precious time with their families in
the province. To further exacerbate this problem, many Filipinos do not have
convenient access to frontline government agencies providing the documentary
requirements for their work abroad, thus hindering and delaying their quest for
better job opportunities.
Per the directive of the President, the Philippine Overseas Employment
Agency (POEA) together with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
has established nineteen (19) One Stop Service Centers for OFWs (OSSCOs)
nationwide beginning in August 2016. OSSCOs provide a one-stop shop for
aspiring overseas workers where they can process documentary requirements
that they need like a passport, NBI clearance, and birth certificate -- all in one
place.
September 12, 2022
12:31 pm
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However, a report dated June 2019 submitted by the DOLE-POEA
Regional Overseas Coordinating Office (ROCO) has shown that there are still
regions without established OSSCOs. Moreover, despite having an existing
OSSCO, a certain region may lack some frontline services such as the absence
of a Passport Section as mentioned above. This results in the prevailing
incomplete OSSCO set-up instead of having 30 available different services from
the identified frontline government agencies.
Thus, this bill seeks to provide a legislative imprimatur to the OSSCO by
mandating that a branch be established at every region, which will be dubbed
“Regional One Stop Service Centers for OFWs” or ROSSCO. Furthermore, this
bill seeks to introduce improvements in the current system in order to ensure
that all frontline government services are of quality and are available per
ROSSCO branch in every region in the country. Whether or not the government
will
eventually
put
in
place
a
Department
for
OFWs,
institutionalizing
ROSSCOs will already sufficiently address the difficulties faced by our OFWs.
In the future, ROSSCOs may also be used as the mechanism for implementing
various programs and projects for OFWs and their families.
All OFWs deserve access to government agencies having custody of the
documents they need in order to gain employment. It is the government's job to
help them achieve their dreams faster and not to hinder them any further from
providing a better life for their loved ones.
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
ALFRED C. DELOS SANTOS
Representative, Ang Probinsyano Party-List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE REGIONAL ONE-STOP SHOP CENTERS
FOR OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS NATIONWIDE
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Regional
One-Stop Shop Centers for Overseas Filipino Workers (ROSSCO)” Act.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the
State to promote equal opportunities for employment for all Filipinos regardless
of gender, ethnicity, residence, or religion and uphold their welfare at all times.
Moreover, the State shall protect the right of all Filipinos for self-determination
and, in particular, acknowledge that overseas work is a choice by Filipinos and,
thus, to be fully supported by the government.
The
State
also
recognizes
that
Overseas
Filipino
Workers
(OFWs)
significantly
contribute
to
our
country’s
economic
growth
and
national
development through their foreign exchange remittances. In line with this, the
State shall provide adequate, relevant, continuous, affordable, and accessible
services and assistance to both existing and aspiring OFWs.
SEC. 3. Regional One-Stop Service Centers for OFWs Nationwide. - The
Regional
One-Stop
Shop
Centers
for
OFWs
or
ROSSCOs
are
hereby
institutionalized nationwide.
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The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), as the lead
agency, shall ensure that there is at least one existing ROSSCO branch per
region in the country. In choosing the location of a ROSSCO, the POEA, in
coordination with participating agencies, shall consider existing government
centers or hubs or places such as malls where there is a high volume of foot
traffic. In addition, the POEA, in coordination with participating agencies, shall
also determine the standard space requirements for ROSSCOs.
Every ROSSCO shall give utmost consideration to the needs of existing
and future OFWs and shall ensure that the services of each participating
agency are delivered efficiently. Every ROSSCO may also accommodate the
concerns of other individuals, including the family and relatives of OFWs, but
only after applications and concerns of OFWs have already been processed or
addressed.
To ensure that all needs are addressed, the POEA, as the lead agency,
may enter into agreements with concessionaires to provide other services such
as
digital ID printing, photocopy services, courier services, internet and
printing services, telephone, prepaid load, cash, and online payment services,
notarial services, etc. for a uniform and reasonable fee, subject to existing laws
and regulations.
In no instance shall fixers be allowed within the premises of ROSSCOs or
within considerable distance from the same.
SEC. 4. Complete ROSSCO Frontliners. - Every national government
agency, department, office, and government-owned and controlled corporation,
concerned with the issuance of necessary clearances, permits, identification
cards, and related documents needed by OFWs, shall be part of ROSSCO in
each region and shall provide manpower component, equipment, technology
and systems necessary to address the needs of existing and future OFWs. The
following agencies shall provide frontline services in every ROSSCO:
a) Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA);
b) Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA);
c) Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA);
d) Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA);
e) Professional Regulation Commission (PRC);
f)
Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA);
g) Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF);


h) Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth);
i)
Social Security System (SSS);
j)
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA);
k) Bureau of Immigration (Bl);
l)
National Bureau Investigation (NBI);
m) Commission on Higher Education (CHED);
n) Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA);
o) Philippine National Police (PNP), and
p) Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Every agency involved in the ROSSCO shall also ensure that their staff,
including outsourced personnel such as security guards, shall be courteous at
all times, accommodating to the needs of walk-in clients and those inquiring or
applying online or through phone, and skilled enough to handle various
queries and concerns of existing and future OFWs or their families, especially
those with urgent needs or in crisis situations.
The POEA is hereby authorized to call the assistance of any government
office not included in the enumeration above to provide frontline services
temporarily or permanently to the extent that such agency is needed in a
particular ROSSCO or in every branch nationwide. Such agencies called by
POEA to participate shall not refuse to provide frontline services in ROSSCOs.
Nothing in this Act prohibits the participating agencies to enter into
agreements with other government agencies or the private sector, outsourcing
their services or training, and designating staff that will handle or provides
multiple
services;
Provided,
That
the
responsibility
and
liability
of
the
designated staff shall be deemed as responsibility and liability of the agency
mandated under the law; Provided further, That the efficient delivery of services
shall not be hampered at all times; and Provided finally, That there will be no
additional cost to the requesting OFW except the actual regulation fee or the
true cost of the document requested.
SEC. 5. Establishment of ROSSCOs vis-a-vis Concentration of OFWs. - The
POEA,
in
coordination
with
concerned
agencies,
may
require
additional
personnel from participating agencies or may establish more than one ROSSCO
or a satellite office with a lesser number of agencies, based on the following
considerations per available data:


a) A large concentration of OFWs coming from a particular region, province,
or major city/municipality; and/or
b) A large number of clients are being served by a particular ROSSCO.
SEC. 6. Streamlining and Digitization of ROSSCO Process. - In line with
the
mandate
to
provide
ease
in
doing
business,
the
process
of
each
participating agency shall be streamlined with the end view of removing
unnecessary
and redundant steps and requirements and integrating the
process and requirements of one agency with the others. The integrated
process and requirements of each agency shall be communicated well and in
advance to OFWs and other clients.
The
ROSSCO Process shall also be digitized. The POEA, with the
assistance of the Department of Information and Communications Technology
(DICT), shall develop a ROSSCO website where existing OFWs, even those
abroad, and other aspiring OFWs can inquire about or engage the services of
participating agencies online.
Filling out forms shall also be digitized. Every client shall be assigned
one reference number for all services and transactions he or she wants to avail
of. The POEA shall ensure that there is a common database in every ROSSCO
in order to prevent unnecessary or redundant filling out of application forms.
SEC.
7.
Implementing
Rules
and
Regulations.
-
The
POEA,
in
coordination with concerned agencies especially those that are part of the
ROSSCO as institutionalized in this Act, shall formulate the implementing
rules and regulations, including the list of services to be provided by each
participating agency, within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act.
SEC.
8.
Appropriation.
-
The
amount
necessary
to
carry
out
the
provisions
of
this
Act
in
the
first
year
of
its
implementation
shall
be
appropriated out of existing funds for the establishment or operationalization of
ROSSCOs nationwide and of any other funds in the National Treasury not
otherwise
appropriated.
Thereafter,
the
amount
necessary
for
the
implementation of this Act shall be included in the respective budgets of the
ROSSCO agencies under the annual General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall
remain valid and subsisting.


SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed,
modified, or amended accordingly.
SEC. 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general
circulation in the Philippines.
Approved,