CEBU CITY – Major mall player SM City Cebu announced recently the opening of its Global Pinoy Center, a one-stop shop facility for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.

The services in the Global Pinoy Center include free video conference calls to their OFW relatives abroad, free email and Internet services. These services are provided for by Global Pinoy Partner, Abbot Tanaw.

The Global Pinoy Center also offers free financial consultation with Banco de Oro (BDO), free entrepreneurial and livelihood training sessions with Department of Trade and Industry and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to enable the OFW and his dependents to be financially independent, allowing them to grow their hard-earned money in wise investments.

The 130 square-meter Global Pinoy Center at SM City Cebu is the ninth Global Pinoy Center opened by SM Supermalls, out of the 37 SM shopping malls located across the Philippines.

“SM Supermalls are privileged to play a part in the lives of the Global Pinoy as well as their families.

Through the years, SM Supermalls have been the venue for reunion lunches, balikbayan shopping sprees, and catch-up bonding moments of Global Pinoy families and friends,” said Annie Garcia, SM Shopping Center Management Corporation president.

Citing official records, she said Cebu ranks second in terms of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)-membership collections next to the National Capital Region (NCR), making Cebu one of the top five provinces in the country with the most number of OFWs.

Records show that there are over 150,000 registered OFWs in Cebu alone. Neighboring provinces like Bohol, Negros, and Siquijor also contribute to the increasing number of OFWs who come to Cebu for business and leisure.

“We believe that these activities will help the dependents of the Global Pinoy to veer away from the trappings of dole-outs and dependency, and in turn teach them to become productive Filipino citizens,” Garcia said.

The Global Pinoy Center will collaborate with various government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment, OWWA, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, and the Department of Foreign Affairs that can offer advice on a variety of topics such as traveling to a foreign country, pre-departure orientation seminars, adjusting to a new culture, social services such as free legal assistance, and even cultural services.