Do you need to get your employment contract verified, or perhaps you are seeking welfare assistance? You can do all these and more at the Migrant Workers Office (MWO), the overseas operating arm of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), which is tasked to protect and promote the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) around the world, including Japan.
In the past, there were several agencies that served OFWs, such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). The functions of these agencies have been combined into a single entity: the DMW. Today, the DMW operates 39 MWOs around the world. For Filipinos who are based in Japan, there’s MWO Tokyo and MWO Osaka.
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What is the Migrant Workers Office?
In 2022, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) was established through Republic Act No. 11641. This involved the creation of Migrant Workers Offices (MWO) in different parts of the world. In most places, the existing Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) had been renamed MWO, which, aside from protecting the rights of OFWs, also provides them with continuous training and knowledge development programs.
Functions and Responsibilities
In Japan as well as in other places around the world, the functions of the MWO are the following:
- Ensuring the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare and interests of OFWs, assisting them with all problems related to employer-employee relationships;
- Promoting and implementing the DMW’s overseas employment program, in line with the overall policy thrust of the Philippine government;
- Verifying employment contracts and other employment-related documents;
- Monitoring and reporting to the DMW Home Office situations and policy developments in the host country that may affect Filipino migrant workers and Philippine labor policies;
- Supervising and coordinating the operations of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Resource Center (MWOFRC);
- Pursuing a needs-based community development and relations program, and engaging in socio-cultural activities organized by the Philippine government, the host country, Filipino communities, and other entities; and
- Performing other functions that may be assigned by the Secretary of Migrant Workers.
MWO Japan Offices and Jurisdictions
As mentioned earlier, there are two MWO offices in Japan: one in Tokyo, and one in Osaka.
MWO Tokyo has jurisdiction over these prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Hokkaido, Ibaraki, Iwate, Kanagawa, Miyagi, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokyo, Yamagata, and Yamanashi.
Meanwhile, MWO Osaka has jurisdiction over the prefectures covered by the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) offices in Osaka and Nagoya. Those under the jurisdiction of PCG Osaka include Ehime, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Nara, Oita, Okayama, Osaka, Saga, Shiga, Shimane, Tokushima, Tottori, Wakayama, and Yamaguchi.
As for the prefectures under the jurisdiction of PCG Nagoya, these include Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, and Toyama.
Sections of MWO Japan
According to the official website of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, the MWO has two main sections: the Labor and Employment Facilitation Services Unit (LEFSU), and the Welfare Services Unit (WSU).
Labor and Employment Facilitation Services Unit (LEFSU)
The LEFSU provides the following services:
- Accreditation of Prospective Employers. This involves the granting of authority to foreign employers/principals, so that they can hire OFWs through a licensed Philippines Recruitment Agency (PRA).
- Employment Contract Verification. The LEFSU is responsible for making sure that the employment documents of OFWs are consistent with the labor laws, standards, and practices of the Philippines and Japan. It also ensures that the necessary documents for overseas employment are complied with.
- Assistance to Balik-Manggagawa. This involves the processing of OFWs’ requirements as “Balik-Manggagawa” (BM) or returning workers.
- Information Dissemination. The LEFSU is tasked to provide information, education, and communication (IEC) materials for the Filipino community in Japan. These are published through the MWO website, social media channels, and through printed materials.
- Monitoring and Reporting. The unit is responsible for monitoring and reporting about job market situations and policy developments in Japan that may affect OFWs and Philippine labor policies.
Welfare Services Unit (WSU)
The WSU is composed of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) personnel. The OWWA is an attached agency that protects and promotes the well-being of OFWs and their families, from pre-departure stage, to their job sites abroad, up to their reintegration or return to the Philippines.
The unit’s programs and services include the following:
- OWWA Membership. For an OWWA membership fee of USD 25 (or its equivalent in Japanese Yen), OFWs are entitled to many benefits, such as: education and training assistance; social benefits (death, burial, disability); welfare assistance (calamity, medical, bereavement, relief); social and family welfare services; and reintegration and livelihood assistance.
- Workers Welfare Assistance Program. This program includes the following services: conciliation/meditation with employers and recruitment agencies; referral assistance to OFWs who would like to pursue a labor/welfare case against their employer and/or recruitment agency; psycho-social counseling; hospital/jail/detention/work campsite visitation; repatriation assistance to workers who are distressed, mentally or physically ill; repatriation of human remains; and other types of assistance.
- Reintegration-Preparedness Training Program. This program involves activities such as values formation, financial literacy, entrepreneurial development, techno-skills, and capacity building.
Video: Online Voting Process for OFWs in Japan
With the Midterm Elections coming soon, registered Filipino voters around the world are preparing to cast their votes. Here in Japan, OFWs can vote for their chosen senators and party-list candidates directly through their electronic devices. If you are a registered Filipino voter in Japan, watch this video to know more about the online voting requirements and process:
Contact Information: MWO Tokyo, Japan
MWO Tokyo is based in the office of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. You can get in touch with them through these contact details:
Address: Philippine Embassy, 5-15-5 Roppongi Minato-Ku, Tokyo 106-8537, Japan
Telephone: +81355621600 / 03-6441-0959
Email: mwo_tokyo@dmw.gov.ph / tokyo@mwo-owwa.net
Website: https://tokyo.philembassy.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PHLinJapan
Google Map Location:
Contact Information: MWO Osaka, Japan
MWO Osaka is based in the office of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Osaka. Below are the office’s contact details:
Address: Philippine Consulate General, 7/F Urban Center Midosuji, 4-3-5 Awaji-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan
Telephone: +81665757593
Email: mwo_osaka@dmw.gov.ph
Website: https://mwoosaka.dmw.gov.ph/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PHinOsaka/
Google Map Location:
Final Thoughts
Thanks to the Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) in Tokyo and Osaka, the Filipino community in Japan can easily access various services and programs, such as labor-related services and welfare assistance.
Speaking of labor, it’s important for OFWs in Japan to know the Japanese Labor Law. Check out this article for more information about the law’s provisions on working hours, leaves, and vacations.