For OFWs and their families back home, the best present to give and receive this holiday season is the gift of peace of mind. Knowing that your loved ones are being looked after by the government while they are abroad and have a way of contacting authorities anytime, they need helps ease a lot of worries.
The ABIZO OFW mobile app is an innovative solution that uses mobile and social networking technology to aid relevant government agencies in the management and facilitation of Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFWs’) activities. Backed by the Philippine Overseas Workers Administration (POEA), the app addresses the long-standing need for real-time monitoring of the current working and living conditions of OFWs all over the world and look after their welfare from their departure from the Philippines up to their homecoming.
Ramping up its information campaign on the many benefits of the app, ABIZO OFW released two Christmas themed films that depict how families stay connected and eases their worries during the holiday season with the help of its convenient mobile platform. The videos tug at the heartstrings as they focus on the plight of OFWs, and their families left back home.
In “Episode One: Magandang Balita Ngayong Pasko,” May worries for her husband Anton, who’s been experiencing abuse from his employer abroad. After trying different ways to deal with the situation, the ABIZO OFW app steps in to help Anton process his repatriation so he can finally come home and spend the holidays with May.
The ABIZO OFW app provides 24/7 International Emergency Assistance, as well as a Repatriation Assistance service for OFWs. The app sends time-critical information, receives emergency alerts, incident reports, updates on contact information, and conducts surveys on the working conditions of OFWs, making it easy for their families in the Philippines to stay updated on their situation.
Meanwhile, “Episode Two: Kamusta Ka Na Ate?” looks into a very relatable story of an OFW experiencing salary payout delays, which is one of the most common problems that OFWs face. Since many OFWs are considered breadwinners of their families back home, the ABIZO OFW app offers a layer of security and protection knowing that they can easily report to authorities any malpractices or violations that overseas employers may commit during the duration of their job contracts.
“This holiday season, we pay tribute to our modern-day heroes—our OFW kababayans, who sacrifice so much for our country and their families. Our new advocacy films aim to reach out to them and let them know that we at Abizo OFW app are here with them in every step of the way, and ready to be of assistance to them in their time of need. Through our technology and convenient mobile app platform that is linked to the POEA, we hope that we can somehow ease their worries so they can spend a peaceful holiday season with their families even though they are far apart,” says Angelo Antonio Buendia, Chairman of Advanced Abilities, which has partnered with Galileo Software Services, Inc. to develop the Abizo OFW app.