The Philippine Embassy in Muscat conducted a mobile consular outreach program in Sohar last 01-02 March 2012. Sohar is about 200 kilometers north of the capital Muscat.

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Jose L. Garcia III led the visiting embassy team, which consisted of representatives from the consular section, OAV committee, and POLO-OWWA. The consular team processed 13 passport renewals and 3 documents for authentication. POLO-OWWA representatives, headed by Labor Attaché Ernesto C. Bihis, issued 24 Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) and processed 13 OWWA membership applications. The Embassy also facilitated the registration of 42 Filipino nationals as part of its OAV registration campaign.

The outreach program also served as a platform to address some of the concerns of the Filipino community in Sohar. An open forum was initiated to answer queries on passport matters and labor concerns, and to discuss the new programs of the government for the OFWs. Speaking before the Filipino community, CDA Garcia affirmed the embassy’s commitment to reach out to all Filipino communities through outreach programs in various places in Oman.