PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the country’s leading ICT and digital services provider, joins hands with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)—to empower the latter’s constituents with improved communication services from ePLDT and Smart Wi-Fi.
In the partnership ceremony held at the Ayuntamiento Manila in Intramuros, the welfare agency officially inaugurated OWWA Hotline 1348, a streamlined trunkline service powered by ePLDT.
“OWWA Hotline 1348 is meant to provide faster response to all requests for assistance on various programs, services, issues on employment contracts, repatriation, and other OFW-related concerns,” said Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Hon. Silvestre H. Bello III during his welcome remarks at the inauguration.
The hotline, which is a product of ePLDT’s Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS), was crafted for the organization to better address the needs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)—an effort in line with the mandate of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to elevate the services provided to OFWs.
“This project is designed as a call center solution with Duty Officers operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Action officers will immediately answer calls, refer concerns or endorse cases to pertinent offices or agencies for appropriate action,” Secretary Bello said, detailing the specifics of the service.
While local patrons can now get in touch with OWWA by simply calling 1348 via landline or mobile, the service is likewise available across the nation and the globe—with those outside Metro Manila just needing to include area code (02) and those abroad needing to include area code (0632) before the hotline number.
In addition to the hotline service, the partnership will also see the provision of fast and free Wi-Fi, powered by Smart WiFi, to the OWWA office in Pasay—allowing for more efficient and streamlined business transactions within the facility.
“We have all benefited from the efforts of OFWs—our country’s modern-day heroes—which is why it fills us with great pride to have been given the opportunity to serve them, even in a small way, with the services that we will provide through OWWA,” FVP & Head of PLDT ALPHA Vic Tria proudly said of the milestone partnership.
“With a streamlined hotline service and seamless connectivity, we can help ensure the safety and welfare of our OFWs by allowing for their most pertinent needs to be met immediately,” he added.
SVP & Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups Jovy Hernandez signified PLDT Enterprise’s commitment to partnership, adding, “The sustained growth and development of our economy can be credited largely to the remittances sent by our OFWs.”
“Our chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan likes to say that we are in the business of nation-building and we see no better way of building our nation than by empowering our global citizens and providing them with excellence in service of which they are worthy,” he finished.
The OWWA Hotline 1348 is now live, with 24/7 responders ready to pick-up calls placed from around the globe, while constituents of OWWA can now enjoy fast and free Wi-Fi at the government agency’s FB Harrison branch in Pasay City.