By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to meet with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Malacañang said on Friday.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Araneta-Marcos flew to Riyadh on Thursday for a working visit.
“The First Lady’s itinerary includes a visit to the OFW and OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) Serbisyo Caravan, a one-stop government outreach that offers government services to OFWs, including legal aid, financial support, and welfare counselling to OFWs and their families,” Castro said.
The Serbisyo Caravan in Riyadh, spearheaded by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the OWWA, in coordination with the Migrant Workers Office in Riyadh and the Philippine Embassy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was held in Makka, Mukaranmah Br. Road on Friday.
The one-stop caravan offers OFWs a range of services, including free legal consultations, psychosocial counseling, contract verification, OWWA e-card processing, passporting, national ID registration, livelihood and reintegration programs, and business support assistance.
The First Lady will also visit shelters for distressed Filipino women, workers, and children in Riyadh, Castro said.
The working visit to Saudi Arabia was originally scheduled in the first week of July.
Castro said Araneta-Marcos’ working visit to Riyadh highlights the steadfast commitment of the Marcos administration to the promotion and protection of the welfare of OFWs and their families.
Araneta-Marcos is expected to return home on July 21, Castro said. (PNA)
