The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) opened 24/7 help desks for its Minors Traveling Abroad (MTA) service in the country’s major international airports to provide immediate assistance to Filipino minors with travel clearance concerns.
Assistant Secretary Ada Colico of the DSWD’s Protective Programs said the operation of MTA help desks started at the Davao International Airport (DIA) on July 29, followed by the opening of the help desk at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on July 31, and at the Clark International Airport (CIA) on August 5.
“The MTA help desk is designed to provide in-person assistance for urgent concerns regarding travel clearance for minors who have been offloaded or prevented from boarding their flights due to documentary problems,” Colico said.
Travel clearance is a requirement for minors or individuals below 18 years old travelling outside the Philippines who are not accompanied by any of their parents or persons having parental responsibility or legal custody over them. The issuance of travel clearances for children is likewise specified under the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act and the Philippine Passport Act of 1996.
“We continue to remind parents or guardians to properly secure travel clearance for children traveling outside the country ahead of time. This document is vital to ensure the safety of Filipino kids who are visiting relatives abroad, or studying or attending competitions overseas,” Colico said.
Upon instructions of Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the MTA system is a priority in the department’s digitalization roadmap, aiming to reduce processing times and eliminate the need for applicants to line up at DSWD offices to secure manual travel clearance.
The processing of MTA clearance can be applied via the MTA Online System at https://mta.dswd.gov.ph/ or via the eGov PH mobile application.
