Thirty (30) personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) assigned and/or identified to assume the duties and responsibilities of an Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Officer in the Home Office and at Foreign Service Post completed the Course on Assistance-to-Nationals.

The Functional and Transition Programs Section of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) conducted the Course from 14-23 September 2020. The Course equipped DFA personnel with the knowledge of Philippine laws and policies on overseas Filipinos and introduced them to the basic procedures on ATN matters. The Course also addressed the need of the Department’s ATN Officers for capacity building and skills enhancement.

Overseas Filipino Workers need assistance regarding problems and personal concerns that affect their work performances, relations with respective employers, host countries, and families in the Philippines. This Course was designed to train ATN Officers with the necessary skills to address the pressing problems that they might encounter while handling ATN cases.

Amid the quarantine restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, this 100% online Course gave an opportunity to DFA personnel not only from the Home Office, but also from the different Consular Offices (COs) throughout the country, to join the sessions in real time through Google Meet.

Participants of the Course on Assistance-to-Nationals intently listened to the lecture of Senior State Prosecutor Lilian Doris S. Alejo, from the Department of Justice (second row, fifth tile).