Palayan City, Nueva Ejica’s capital, is shedding its image as a sleepy backwater into becoming one of the most progressive cities in Central Luzon.
It aims to be the business process outsourcing and information technology capital of Nueva Ecija, as well as the center for multiple government services that assist all constituents of the province.
Built by the Malayisan infrastructure conglomerate Alloy MTD, the new Palayan City Business Hub has begun operations, and recently inaugurated the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s One Stop Shop for Overseas Filipino Workers or OSSCO.
The Government Center is part of the P1.5-billion Palayan City Business Hub. It also includes a business process outsourcing center and a 75-room hotel.
Under the Palayan City OSSCO, 14 government agencies are all under one roof, ready to service OFWs, Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas said.
It is designed with full air-conditioned facilities, Wi-Fi services, and enough seating capacity so that OFWs will have all the comfort as they process their documents.
Migrant workers in Northern and Central Luzon can now do their paper work at the OSSCO instead of travelling to Manila. It can accommodate as much 350 people in an air-conditioned environment without them having to wait in long queues.
Instead of going to Metro Manila, OFWs can go to OSSCO in Palayan to avail the services of the Social Security System, Philhealth, Philippine Regulatory Commission, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Maritime Industry Authority, Bureau of Immigration, Philippine Statistics Authority, and Pag-Ibig.
The OSSCO includes support services such as Bayad Center, 2Go, and Netopia Internet Café.
POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia explained that all the agencies at OSSCO will be configuring their IT systems to deliver better processing and service for the OFWs.
Mayor Cuevas added she is hopeful Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano will also open a full-service passport office in Palayan.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has a counter at the One Stop Shop to assist applicants who can’t wait for appointments in Manila.
Cuevas also assured the public there are enough transport services that ply between Palayan City and Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija’s commercial capital. The mayor said she is talking to more operators to serve the influx of OFWs at the OSSCO.