PH opens 'one-stop hub ' seafarer welfare center

PH opens 'one-stop hub ' seafarer welfare center
Francis Orcio, Feb 16, 2026 https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/16/ph-opens-one-stop-hub-seaf...

MANILA -- The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), has launched the country’s first Seafarer Welfare Center in Metro Manila.

The facility is a centralized, one-stop hub that brings together health care, legal aid, training, and social services for Filipino seafarers and their families, the DMW said.

The center, inaugurated ahead of Valentine’s Day, was established in line with the Magna Carta for Seafarers, which mandates the creation of dedicated welfare facilities in major crew-change ports nationwide.

Under the law, Seafarer Welfare Centers are also set to rise in Pangasinan, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Iloilo, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao City, areas identified as major ports for crew change. The Metro Manila facility is the first to be completed and opened to the public.

“Ang layunin po nito ay in other words, gawin po sa isang lugar, sa isang pasilidad, ang iba't iba pong serbisyo at programa ng ating pamahalaan para po sa ating mga marino. Ito po ay in line with the directive of the president to make the services of the government readily accessible to our workers,” said OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan.

Designed as a one-stop shop, the facility houses offices and service desks of DMW, OWWA, and partner agencies such as the Social Security System (SSS), Pag-IBIG Fund, PhilHealth, and the Public Attorney’s Office.

It also works with training institutions, including the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), to offer non-degree courses and skills development programs aimed at capacity building for seafarers.

Health services are a major feature of the center, with an on-site clinic and pharmacy offering free medical check-ups, medicines, laboratory tests, and cancer screening.

“Libreng check-up po ito, dahil meron po talagang full-time na naka-assign na doctor at full-blown na botika. Libre ang gamut under the YAKAP and GAMOT program of PhilHealth. At ito po ay open sa lahat ng seafarers at kanilang mga pamilya, mga anak,” Caunan explained.