Meet the 2021 recipients of the Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO)! Established by then-President Corazon Aquino through Executive Order No. 498 in December 1991, the PAFIOO is a biennial award conferred to distinguished Filipino individuals and organizations in recognition of their outstanding contributions to national development efforts or their outstanding achievements in their field of profession. The Awards, implemented and managed by CFO through its Policy, Planning, and Research Division, are also conferred to foreign individuals and organizations that provide assistance to the country or advance the cause of Filipino communities overseas.

To date, the awards have been bestowed upon 541 individuals and organizations overseas from 55 countries and territories.

This guidebook serves as a practical guide for those who wish to avail of the benefits under Republic Act 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016. This is also a reference for our Philippine Foreign Service Posts, our partner government agencies, and local government units in the course of implementing the overseas centenarian program.

The MAM Awards recognize the positive and significant contributions of media outlets, institutions and practitioners in the fields of print, radio, movie and television, advertising and internet from the government and private media organizations in the Philippines and abroad, in raising public awareness on issues on Filipino migration advocating the cause of Filipinos overseas, or promoting a positive image of Filipinos overseas.

This special publication,the first ever published by the CFO on the MAM Awards, serves as a tribute to our 2019 and past MAM Awards winners. It also chronicles the success of the Awarding Ceremonies in 2019.

Balitang Hapon

Canada COVID Pandemic Response
Canada Taxation
CFO Pre-Departure Service

Canada Webinar Video
Video Testimony of Mr. Greg Jabal
Support Network

2017 CFO Statistics on Philippine International Migration contains data on Filipino emigrants, marriage migrants, cultural and educational exchange participants, and other pertinent information on diaspora philanthropy (Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino Program), anti-human trafficking initiatives and assistance to nationals, and Philippine Schools Overseas.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has prepared this guide to help you adapt in your new life in the U.S.

The CFO prepared this guide to provide you with information that will ease your adjustment abroad. It is our way of wishing you a safe trip and a successful settlement overseas.

Canada

The official newsletter of the CFO distributed worldwide

The Filipino Ties provides quarterly updates regarding CFO’s initiatives to advance the cause of Filipino diaspora; events and activities relating to overseas Filipinos and their families left behind; and news relevant to migration and development.

September 2020 – December 2020
July 2020 – August 2020
April – June 2020 Covid-19 Special Issue
January 2020 – March 2020

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The Migration Standpoint is an e-publication of the CFO that presents observations and analyses on certain migration related policy issues. It aims to give readers better understanding of certain issues and provide useful inputs for decision-making.

Issue 3: The Filipino Diaspora as Long-Time Partners for Change and Development in the Homeland
Issue 2: Is There a Need for a Single Department to Cater the Needs of Overseas Filipinos?
Issue 1: For Whom Should the Balangiga Bells Toll?

A special e-publication of the CFO for the 2019 Women’s Month Celebration which aims to give due recognition and tribute to the nine (9) women recipients of the 2018 PAFIOO, highlighting their significant accomplishments and contributions. Specifically, this contains their brief biographies and their invaluable contributions to the Filipino people. Furthermore, it gives light to these exceptional women as their distinction not only serves as proof of their contribution to the Philippines, but also sets an example for many Filipino women that their potential is limitless.

The Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas, established through Executive Order No. 498 in December 1991, is a biennial award conferred to distinguished Filipino individuals and organizations in recognition of their outstanding contributions to national development efforts, or their outstanding achievements in their field of profession. The awards, implemented and managed by CFO, are also conferred to foreign individuals and organizations that provide assistance to the country or advance the cause of Filipino communities overseas. As of 2018, the awards have been bestowed upon 485 individuals and organizations overseas from 51 countries and territories.

As part of the preparations for the 2018 State if the Nation Address (SONA), the CFO came out with a concise Infographic Report along the pre-SONA campaign called Tatak ng Pagbabago. The Report is produced to give the public a glimpse of the policies, programs and projects that the Commission has accomplished during the second year of the current administration.

The establishment of CFO Davao is the first in Mindanao and aims to provide top notch frontline services in a comfortable environment and convenient location for CFO clients from all over Mindanao. This is also in line with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s directive to streamline government processes in a bid to bring its services closer to Filipinos across the country, especially to the people of Mindanao. Take a peek inside our new office!

Primer on Philippine Dual Citizenship Act

The DUAL CITIZENSHIP PRIMER (2018 Edition) is developed to serve as an easy and practical guide and reference about the Philippine dual citizenship law for the general public, especially for those who want to retain or re-acquire their Filipino citizenship.

In the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, the phrase “para sa bayan” is often heard, as a personal reminder and motivation to continue the good and noble work for the Filipino people. This “Para sa Bayan” e-book holds a collection of speeches of former CFO Secretary Imelda M. Nicolas, covering a myriad of subjects from migration and development to migration governance, from remittances to financial inclusion, from migrants in crisis to human trafficking, and from diaspora engagement to the gender dimension of migration. Some of these speeches reflect CFO’s various programs and initiatives – a paragon of work which had its foundation hinged on dedication and patriotism – towards upholding the interest and well-being of overseas Filipinos and strengthening their ties with the Motherland.

This compilation features the number of CFO-registered Filipino emigrants, spouses and partners of foreign nationals, US Exchange Visitor Program (EVP), au pairs, and data on financial and material contribution of overseas Filipinos to the Philippines coursed through the CFO’s Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LINKAPIL).

The Faces of OF-ReD is a special publication by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, Cooperative Bank of Ilocos Norte, United Nations Development Programme and the Western Union Foundation. The photo-book documents the inspiring, sometimes heart-breaking success stories of 20 beneficiaries of the Overseas Filipinos Remittances for Development (OF-ReD): Building a Future Back Home Project. The beneficiaries are mostly returning Ilocano women migrants and some are dependents of overseas Ilocano migrants.

The CFO’s Freedom of Information (FOI) People’s Manual provides guidelines in the filing and processing of requests for information received under Executive Order (E.O.) No. 2 on Freedom of Information. It also includes the types of information that can be requested from the CFO, the procedures in handling approval and denial of requests, as well as process flow charts and document templates.

2014 CFO Compendium of Statistics on International Migration

CFO Compendium of Statistics on International Migration features the yearly stock estimates of overseas Filipinos, the number of registered Filipino emigrants, spouses and partners of foreign nationals, US Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) participants, au pairs, and data on financial and material contributions of overseas Filipinos to the Philippines coursed through the CFO’s Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LINKAPIL).

2014 – 2015 CFO Annual Report

The steadfast response of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas to the dynamic process of international migration is reflected from its achievements. These achievements are highlighted in the 2014 – 2015 CFO Annual Report.

CFO Inputs to the Philippines Combined 7th and 8th Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women Report

As the government is not closing its eyes to the social costs of migration, this e-book reflects the efforts of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas to mitigate these costs. It further shows how the government is also maximizing the benefits of migration and protect the rights, the welfare and interests of overseas Filipinos in every possible way.

One aspect of migration that is usually not discussed is what we call marriage migration. In this regard, the CFO strives to address the particular vulnerabilities and situations of the predominantly female migrating spouses or partners of foreign nationals and consider their needs in every stage of the migration cycle. These are aimed to accord fully the Filipino people with their rights to mobility and give them an informed choice and option whether or not to go out of the country, free from the downside risks of migration.

The project aims to support policies that transform overseas remittances for development, savings and investments, and build a viable collective remittance fund. A sub-component of the project – the Migration and Development Initiative for Region 1 (MDI-1) aims to mainstream migration and development in the development plans and programs of local governments in the Ilocos Region.

To know the project’s accomplishments, click here for the presentation made before the Project Management Board. To know more about this initiative, kindly visit www.ofredtipudno.com

The Philippine Financial Freedom Campaign (or PESO Sense, for short) is a Financial Education and Entrepreneurship program that utilizes new technology to reach out to all Filipinos, whether sender or receiver of remittances. The PESO Sense campaign makes use of all forms of communications such as the internet, social media and mobile applications. The PESO Sense is multi-media and multi-sectoral, involving different agencies and stakeholders and catering to as many communities and clientele as we could reach.

To know the project’s accomplishments, click here for the presentation made before the Project Management Board. To know more about this initiative, kindly visit www.pesosense.com

The CFO primer is only one of the many instruments through which the Commission on Filipinos Overseas provides relevant, accurate and comprehensive information on the programs and services purposely designed to safeguard the interests of the Filipino diaspora community worldwide.

With its intention to institutionalize and maximize overseas Filipinos’ (OFs) involvement in the socio-cultural and economic development of the Philippines, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas started to provide in 2011 a venue for Filipinos overseas to come together and re-engage with development initiatives in the Philippines through a Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora every two years in Manila. The first, second and third were held in 2011, 2013 and 2015, respectively.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has prepared this guide to help you adapt in your new life in the U.S.

Information Kit

The CFO prepared this guide to provide you with information that will ease your adjustment abroad. It is our way of wishing you a safe trip and a successful settlement overseas.

United States of America
Canada
Japan
Australia and New Zealand
A Guide for Europe bound Filipino Au Pair – 2017 Edition

The CFO Frontier Policy Notes are observations and analyses on certain policies and issues affecting overseas Filipinos.

The comics magazine reflects real-life stories and experiences of Filipinos overseas.

Gintong Patnubay 2009 Edition
Gintong Patnubay V2 N2
Gintong Patnubay V2 N1
Gintong Patnubay V1 N1

The handbook provides information on a wide range of policies, programs, and activities of the Philippine government affecting Filipinos overseas. As well as returning Filipinos. It also provides information on a number of programs through which Filipinos overseas can actively participate in the realization of the Philippine development agenda.

I. Filipinos Overseas and their Contribution to National Development
II. Recognition of Overseas Filipinos
III. Philippine Laws and Regulations Affecting Filipinos Overseas
IV. Immigration Policies on Visiting and Returning Overseas Filipinos
V. Programs and Services of Government Agencies for Overseas Filipinos

This manual addresses the information needs of Filipinos and other donors overseas concerning the transfer of various forms of assistance to the Philippines. It provides direction to donors, as well as beneficiaries in the Philippines, on the procedures and requirements in the processing of material donations from overseas.

It provides leads about agencies or offices where more specific data could be obtained. The compendium also gives examples, where available, of specific industries or enterprises with attractive potentials for the information of prospective investors. Just as importantly, the compendium provides information about the requirements for doing business, from the standpoint of a number of relevant government agencies, including local government units.

Manual of Policies and Regulations for Philippine Schools Overseas

This manual was developed in order to provide policy guidelines and specific rules and regulations for the establishment, recognition, operation, and management of elementary and secondary schools in accordance with existing laws—namely, the Memorandum of Agreement of 24 February 1995 establishing the Inter-Agency Committee on Philippine Schools Abroad, and Executive Order No. 252 dated 5 May 2000 establishing the Inter-Agency Committee on Philippine Schools Overseas.

Republic Act 10906 is an act providing stronger measures against unlawful practices, businesses, and schemes of matching and offering Filipinos to foreign nationals for purposes of marriage or common law partnerships. It became a law on 21 July 2016.

The Act repeals Republic Act 6955 or the Anti-Mail Order Bride Act. The salient features of the new law are the inclusion of Filipino men against acts of matching for purposes of marriage or common law partnerships to foreign nationals; matching through the use of internet; confiscation and forfeiture of proceeds and instruments derived from committing he prohibited acts in favor of the government; provision on the formulation of an implementing rules and regulations; and imposing stiffer penalties on its violation.

Primer on RA 9208 Anti-trafficking in Persons Act of 2003

This primer provides concise information about the Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 as amended by the Republic Act 10364. It serves as a handy reference on the salient provisions of the Act and the available programs and services for trafficked victims.

A brochure answering ten questions about the functions, programs, activities and other basic information about the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

Transnational Bridges ( Migration, Development and Solidarity in the Philippines)

The book is organized into two parts. Part 1 tells part of the story of two decades of the Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LINKAPIL) program. Initiated by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas in 1989, the initiative aimed at matching the resources donated by overseas Filipino associations to meet the needs of disadvantaged communities in the Philippines. The LINKAPIL program has been in existence long before remittances, diaspora philanthropy or migrant giving and the migration-development nexus caught the interest of the global community. A brief introduction about the program is provided, followed by vignettes of selected donors and a focus on livelihood projects. Part 2 presents sketches of migrant giving, migrants’ investments and models of partnership between overseas Filipinos and local institutions culled from the research conducted by MAPID-Philippines in 2008.

The brochure provides information on how to join Lakbay-Aral, its program fee, and the tour packages.