Philippines office in Taiwan launches app and connection service

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Philippines’ representative office in Taiwan has launched an app to improve connections with and between Filipino citizens on the island, the Central News Agency reported Thursday.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), as it is officially known, has turned a version of its website into an app called MECO Ph available in Google Play and Apple Store, representative Angelito Banayo told CNA.

Last May, the office also launched a program dubbed MECOnnect in order to link up Filipino workers in Taiwan, which would be helpful in the event of a disaster.
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The workers receive a hotline number for the MECO office, which also allows staff to contact them and visit them at their home or workplace if necessary.

The idea for the service originated in February when a Filipina caregiver died in the Hualien earthquake and it took more than 24 hours for the office to find out, Banayo told CNA.

With MECOnnect, the office would know immediately through texts or mobile services whether Filipino nationals were involved in a disaster or accident, he said.

The system proved valuable during a factory fire in Taoyuan last June, when Filipino workers turned out to be unharmed, according to Banayo.
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Taiwan counts 147,000 contract workers from the Philippines, CNA reported.

​By: By Matthew Strong, August 2, 2018
Source: Taiwan News