Article 19Office of Emigrant Affairs

(a) Pursuant to the national policy to maintain close ties with Filipino migrant communities and promote their welfare as well as establish a data bank in aid of national manpower policy formulation, an Office of Emigrant Affairs is hereby created in the Department of Labor. The Office shall be a unit at the Office of the Secretary and shall initially be manned and operated by such personnel and through such funding as are available within the Department and its attached agencies.

Thereafter, its appropriation shall be made part of the regular General Appropriations Decree. (b) The office shall, among others, promote the well-being of emigrants and maintain their close link to the homeland by: 1) serving as a liaison with migrant communities; 2) provision of welfare and cultural services; 3) promote and facilitate re-integration of migrants into the national mainstream; 4) promote economic; political and cultural ties with the communities; and 5) generally to undertake such activities as may be appropriate to enhance such cooperative links.