Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act
Section 1. Function and Responsibilities. The Legal Assistant for Migrant Affairs under the Department of Foreign Affairs shall be primarily responsible for the provision and over-all coordination of all legal assistance services to Filipino Migrant Workers as well as Overseas Filipinos in distress. In the exercise of these primary responsibilities, he/she shall discharge the following duties and functions:
(a) Issue the guidelines, procedures and criteria for the provision of legal assistance services to Filipino Migrant Workers;
(b) Establish close linkages with the DOLE, POEA, OWWA and other government agencies concerned, as well as with non-governmental organizations assisting migrant workers, to ensure effective coordination in providing legal assistance to migrant workers;
(c) When necessary, tap the assistance of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), other bar associations, legal experts on labor, migration and human rights laws, reputable law firms, and other civil society organizations, to complement government services and resources to provide legal assistance to migrant workers;
(d) Administer the Legal Assistance Fund for Migrant Workers and to authorize its disbursement, subject to approved guidelines and procedures, governing its use, disposition and disbursement;
(e)Keep and maintain an information system for migration as provided in Section 20 of the Act;
(f) Prepare its budget for inclusion in the Department of foreign Affair's budget in the annual General Appropriations Act; and
(g) Perform such other functions and undertake other responsibilities as may be useful, necessary or incidental to the performance of his/her mandate.