Palace forms new overseas response team

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has created a high-level crisis team to replace the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMEPC) headed by special envoy Roy Cimatu.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said President Aquino signed Executive order No. 34 last April 6 to establish the Overseas Preparedness and Response Team (OPRT) under the Office of the President.

The new body was created to strengthen the government’s response mechanism for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) trapped in civil unrest and natural disasters in their host countries.

“Natural disasters, civil unrest, armed conflicts and similar crises in foreign countries expose overseas Filipinos to immediate hazards and risks,” Ochoa said in a statement.

“So it is only imperative that we establish a measure and a system that would ensure the safety and welfare of our fellowmen abroad,” he added.

The new team replaces the PMEPC which was created to facilitate the evacuation of thousands of Filipino workers in the Middle East at the height of the Iraq crisis in 2002.

The recent natural disasters that struck Japan and New Zealand and the political unrest in Middle East and North African nations created a need to expand the scope of the PMEPC.

The OPRT is chaired by the executive secretary and is composed of the following Cabinet officials as members: presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ Concerns, secretaries of the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Employment, National Defense, Justice, the Interior and Local Government, and Budget and Management.

The team is mandated to draw up strategies to respond to crisis affecting Filipinos abroad.

It may coordinate with government agencies and private groups in the formulation of programs and policies. It will establish a pool of crisis management and technical experts to form rapid reaction teams which shall be deployed to crisis-hit areas.

The panel will also review the contingency plans submitted by Philippine embassies and consulates every six months.

In the event of mass repatriation, the panel may dispatch additional personnel to foreign missions for three months to assist in relocation and repatriation.

It will also prepare a comprehensive communication plan to inform the public of the actions taken by the government. Ochoa said they have determined that the new crisis team will not duplicate the functions of other government agencies.

“On the contrary, the creation of the OPRT is supposed to coordinate and streamline the efforts and actions of Philippine personnel abroad,” he said.