Commission on Filipinos Overseas: Difference between revisions

Agency of the government of the Philippines

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO; Filipino: Komisyon sa mga Pilipino sa Ibayong Dagat) is an agency of the government of the Philippines under the Office of the President of the Philippines. CFO was established on June 16, 1980, through the enactment of Batas Pambansa Blg. 79.

The agency is responsible for promoting and upholding the interests of Filipino emigrants and Filipino permanent residents in countries other than The Philippines. It is also responsible for preserving and strengthening ties with Filipino communities outside the Philippines. It is headed by a Chairperson who is bestowed with a Cabinet rank of Secretary.^[3]

Currently, Dante “Klink” Ang II leads the commission as its secretary and chairperson.

CFO’s principal office is located in Pasay City. It has extension offices in Cebu, Baguio, Davao and Cagayan De Oro and maintains an assistance desk in NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 (departure area). The CFO may be reached thru the following contact information:

• CFO Manila – 9th Floor, NexGen Tower, C-4 Road, EDSA Ext, Pasay City, 1300 Metro Manila, Tel. No. (trunkline): (02) 8552-4700.
• CFO Cebu – Ground floor, K&J Building,  #4 Don Julio Llorente St., Capitol Site, Cebu City 6000. Tel. Nos. (32) 255-5253 and (0917) 308-1378.
• CFO Davao – Door 307-309 3rd Floor Pink Walters Bldg. Ecoland-Sandawa Crossing, Quimpo Blvd, Brgy. Bucana, Davao City 8000 Davao del Sur. Tel. Nos. (82) 228-3033 and (0945) 814-4333.
• CFO Baguio – 103B First Basement, Gestdan Centrum, 80 Bokawkan, Baguio, 2600 Benguet .Tel. No: (074) 665 9103
• CFO Cagayan De Oro – 5th Floor BPO Tower SM CDO Downtown Premier, Claro M. Recto Ave, Cagayan De Oro City Telephone No: (088) 557 2028
• CFO NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 – Located at departure area. Only caters to exempted clients such as senior citizens and those who have been living abroad with PR cards. Tel. No. (02) 8879-5685

• Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars (PDOS) for Emigrants / Peer Counseling: The CFO conducts Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars (PDOS) for 20 to 59-year-old Filipino emigrants with the core objective of providing them the relevant information needed to address concerns about permanently residing overseas.
• Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP): During the one-on-one, counselors can address counselees’ questions on a more personal level, hopefully leading them towards empowerment, in dealing with the realities of intermarriage.
• Au Pairs Country Familiarization Seminar: Filipino au pair program participants are young individuals from the Philippines who are placed under a cultural exchange arrangement. The program allows participants to learn a new language and culture while gaining valuable life experiences.
• Community Education Program (CEP): The Community Education Program (CEP) is an information campaign conducted by the CFO in coordination with various government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), local government units (LGUs), and academic institutions. The program seeks to reach out and assist prospective migrants in making informed decisions regarding overseas employment or permanent residence abroad. The conduct of the CEP also aims to generate community involvement on migration concerns, raise public awareness on various aspects of migration including cross-cultural relationships and inter-marriages, illegal recruitment, human trafficking, mail-order spouse scheme, as well as existing government policies, programs and services that address these concerns.

The Philippine Financial Freedom Campaign: In line with the national development goal of financial inclusion, CFO has specifically put a focus on the financial literacy of overseas Filipinos and their families. The program was launched to develop or enhance personal strategies, skills and knowledge in attaining financial freedom. This nationwide Financial Literacy Campaign seeks to achieve its main objective of improving financial literacy by promoting productive expenditures, greater savings and entrepreneurship among overseas Filipinos and the beneficiaries of their remittances.

BaLinkBayan is the program offering of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) that seeks to link overseas Filipinos to social and economic development initiatives in the Philippines and in its various localities wherever they may be in the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Serving as a one-stop online portal for diaspora engagement, CFO’s BaLinkBayan provides an array of options for overseas Filipinos to partner with national and local governments in starting a business, opportunities for donation and volunteer service, and accessing online government services.

BaLinkBayan works at two levels. First, it links OFs to development oriented diaspora initiatives including investment opportunities in the Philippines through the national portal (www.balinkbayan.gov.ph). Second, it provides options for business and investment opportunities in select partner local governments including automated transactional processes at the local level. The following local governments have partnered with CFO for the development of their localized BaLinkBayan web pages: Sorsogon City, Sorsogon Province, Ligao City, Tabaco City, Legazpi City, Masbate City, Bacoor City, Cagayan de Oro City, Antique, Iloilo City and Naga City (featuring Naga City’s online real property tax assessment and payment). CFO also entered into partnership agreements with the provinces of Pangasinan, Iloilo and Aklan, Iriga City, Cuenca, Batangas, and Guinobatan, Albay for the development of their localized BaLinkBayan web pages.

Overseas Filipinos can channel their assistance to support projects in livelihood/micro-enterprise development, education, health and welfare, small-scale infrastructure, and technology and skills transfer. CFO also maintains active linkages with Filipino associations and other possible donors overseas, as well as local partners in the Philippines, to encourage investments and partnerships for development.The LINKAPIL was established by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas in 1989 to seek a broader and deeper partnership between overseas Filipinos and Filipinos in the home country based on a common desire to advance the collective good of the Filipino people and to contribute to the realization of national development. It means “service to fellow Filipinos.”The LINKAPIL program facilitates the transfer of assistance from Filipinos and other donors overseas to support projects in livelihood development, education, health and welfare, small-scale infrastructure, and technology and skills transfer

CFO engaged with several Filipino community organizations and leaders in countries with large concentrations of overseas Filipinos particularly the United States. It was an opportunity for the CFO to reach out to overseas Filipinos (organizations, media, civil society, etc.) to discuss various ways of diaspora engagement for the home country’s development.

The Expanded Centenarians Act, or Republic Act 11982, aims to recognize Filipino octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians, whether in the Philippines or abroad, for their longevity and contributions to Philippine national development.

Under this law, Filipinos who reach milestones of 80, 85, 90, and 95 years old will receive a Php 10,000 incentive. On the other hand, those who reach 100 years old will receive a Php100,000.00 cash gift and a Letter of Felicitation from the Philippine President, congratulating the Filipino centenarians for their longevity and contributions to Philippine national development.

To commemorate this recognition, October 1 to 7 of every year is celebrated as the Elderly Filipino Week, and the first Sunday of October is declared as National Respect for Centenarians Day.

Serving as one of the law’s implementing agencies, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas reviews and validates the applications of potential beneficiaries residing overseas. It also maintains consistent communication with key stakeholders such as the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Philippine Embassies and Consulates, local government units, and the general public.

In June 1988, then President Corazon C. Aquino signed Proclamation No. 276 declaring December 1988 and the same month of every year as the “Month of Overseas Filipinos”. It gave recognition to overseas Filipinos who contributed to the restoration of Philippine democracy and Philippine development through their taxes and remittances.In 2007, then-President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo signed Administrative Order No. 202 creating the Inter-Agency Committee for the Celebration of the Month Overseas Filipinos with the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW, an umbrella organization of migrant civil society organizations) as Chair and the CFO as Co-Chair.

The Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO) is a biennial awards program administered by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). It recognizes exceptional individuals and organizations abroad for their outstanding contributions to Philippine development, philanthropy, and the promotion of Filipino culture and heritage.^[4]

The awards were established under Executive Order No. 498 (1992), which institutionalized a mechanism to honor overseas Filipinos and organizations that have made significant contributions to national progress.^[5]

The program includes the Pamana ng Pilipino, Banaag, Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LINKAPIL), and Kaanib ng Bayan awards.^[6] The selection process is managed by the CFO through a multi-stage evaluation and vetting procedure, with final approval by the President of the Philippines.^[7]

In 2024, thirteen recipients from nine countries were announced and later honored at Malacañan Palace.^[8]

• Pamana ng Pilipino: Larry E. Carumba (Saudi Arabia, 2024); Jane Y. Gerardo-Abaya (Austria, 2024); Roberto Eusebio R. Lavides (Canada, 2024); Melvin J. Sanicas (Switzerland, 2024).^[8]
• Banaag: Elvy G. Barroso (USA, 2024); Elvira A. Dela Cruz (Morocco, 2024).^[8]
• Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LINKAPIL): Philippine Nurses Association of New York, Inc. (USA, 2024); Neurosurgery Outreach Foundation, Inc. (USA, 2024); Leo-Felix M. Jurado (USA, 2024).^[8]
• Kaanib ng Bayan: Bader Ahmed J. Al Zafeen (United Arab Emirates, 2024); Victor Gaina (Moldova, 2024).^[8]
• Other notable past recipients: Maria Lea Carmen (Lea) Salonga (Pamana ng Pilipino, 2014); Michael Cinco (Pamana ng Pilipino, 2014); Temasek Foundation Ltd. (Kaanib ng Bayan, 2020–2022).^[9]

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas is composed of the following Board of Commissioners per Executive Order #: 373, s. 2004:

As of September 2024

^[3]

14°34′38.17″N 120°59′48.67″E / 14.5772694°N 120.9968528°E / 14.5772694; 120.9968528