Mobile app makes help just a click away for distressed OFWs 

Whether in distress and in need of help or just curious about current goings-on in the world of entertainment and sports, OFWs now have an app that they can use for these purposes.

On Thursday, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) announced that it has partnered with OFW Watch, a software program, to make life easier for OFWs regardless of their location.

OWWA said OFW Watch is designed to link OFWs in distress and those calling for help anywhere in the world and anytime of the day.

"It is a one-click process of asking 'help,' data sharing, and other means of internet applications made easy via mobile phones," OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said in a statement.

Among the app's other features are:

• Report Abused OFW / Report Missing OFW
• Home: Post Status, Upload Photo, View Activities
• OFW Watch Facebook: View Facebook posts of OFW Watch
• Locator: Use Google Maps to locate Embassies, OWWA and POLO offices
• News Feed: Philippine Nation, Entertainment and Sports news
• Resources: FAQs and useful articles
• Directories: Organized directories by categories and ability to search specific directories
• Translator
• Currency Converter

The  partnership was  made official through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between OWWA, represented by  Cacdac, and  OFW Watch, Inc., represented by its president, Myrna Padilla, who is a former OFW.

Padilla said her personal experience as a domestic helper in a foreign country motivated her to come up with a pro-OFW app.

As partners, OWWA and OFW Watch will complement each other in the planning, designing, and operationalizing technological solutions to address OFW concerns.

Tthe two parties will also work in unison to give OFWs access to OWWA-related services through appropriate Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to make it OFW-friendly courtesy of OFW Watch.

The app is available on Android. —KBK, GMA News