The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office of the Undersecretary for Migration Affairs (OUMA), the Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs (OUCSCA), and the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA), in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt held the second of a series of regional Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN), Contingency Planning, and Consular Caucus of Philippine Foreign Service Posts. The caucus was held at the Fairmont Nile City Hotel in Cairo, Egypt from 21 to 23 October 2024.

This is the second of a series of regional meetings to be conducted by OUMA, OUCSCA, and OCA as part of its continuing efforts to deliver relevant, efficient and effective services to overseas Filipinos. 

OUMA briefed Foreign Service Posts from the Middle East and Africa with the latest developments in the country’s migration policy. The important role of the Filipino community in their host countries was also discussed and how the Philippines can take advantage of the overall Filipino diaspora. 

On the other hand, OUCSCA discussed the concept of "Bayanihan Corps," which draws from the Filipino value of bayanihan, or communal solidarity, to create a coordinated system for delivering humanitarian assistance overseas. 

Foreign Service Posts in the region discussed how conflicts in the region are affecting overseas Filipinos and the challenges that they face. Foreign Service Posts also shared their best practices on evacuation and repatriation of Filipinos. Matters related to security and political instability in the region were also discussed.

OCA provided an overview of the New Philippine Passport Act or RA 11983. Updates on the requirements for the application and renewal of passports were discussed as well as updates on the civil registry processes, focusing on the Registration of Births (ROB), Registration of Marriages (ROM), and Registration of Deaths (ROD). New visa application procedures and apostille authentication updates were also discussed.

The caucus was attended by 38 participants from 19 Philippine Foreign Service Posts. Several participants from the Home Office also attended virtually via Zoom Online Conferencing. The participants from Foreign Service Posts included ambassadors, consuls general, and foreign service officers, while participants from the home office included undersecretaries, assistant secretary, deputy assistant secretaries and directors.