POLO still looking for new office

The POLO office in the 11th floor of the Admiralty Centre.

THE Philippine Overseas Labor Office may not be moving to the Lippo Centre after all.

Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre on July 5 told Hong Kong News they will still leave their current office premises but were unsure whether to proceed to a Lippo Centre office after the area they
were looking at was leased out to another tenant.

POLO is presently occupying offices at the 11th and 16th floors of Admiralty Centre.

“Matutuloy naman ang paglipat namin. Andiyan na iyong budget kaya lang na-lease na ang fourth floor doon sa Lippo Centre. Naghahanap na kami ng iba. We can move to the United Centre,
Admiralty Centre, or the Lippo Centre,” he said.

Dela Torre added that they have asked several agents to help them find a new office.

As of July 10, he said they would be viewing another area – a fifth floor office at the Lippo Centre.

“I scolded the agent on July 4. Sabi ko sa kanila ‘you did not protect our interests’. I’m looking for other agents pero sabi nila kasi hindi pa daw napirmahan ng landlord at ako pa lang nakapirma
kaya hindi pa binding. Binding lang daw kapag nabayaran na,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment office in Manila has wired P17.169 million to the POLO’s account in Hong Kong for the agency’s transfer to a new office.

POLO said the amount would cover most of the three months of deposit, and one month of advanced rental requirement for leasing here in Hong Kong.

“We still need some 59,000 Hong Kong dollars and then the money for the installation of fixtures,” a POLO staff member handling the accounts said.

The source also said they would file another request for budget augmentation when they become certain where they would be moving.

“We don’t know yet how much we would be requesting. That depends on where we would be moving,” the source added.

In April, Dela Torre said the POLO would relocate to a new office so the post could save money and do away with strict building security measures, restricting the entry of Filipino workers
to its premises on Sundays.

Dela Torre had said the new office they were originally eyeing in Lippo Centre was smaller in area compared to the two areas occupied by POLO at the Admiralty Centre.

The public area of the Lippo Centre office, however, would allow Filipino workers to wait inside the office, instead of being asked to queue at the bridge near Admiralty Centre.

On Sundays, when many Filipinos come to the POLO to process various requirements, the Admiralty Centre building security would be strict and limit the number of Filipinos who would be allowed in the POLO premises.

“It’s (strict security) the main reason we are leaving,” Dela Torre had said.

Besides the bigger area to accommodate more POLO clients, Dela Torre added the rent for their present offices would be raised once their contract expires in October.

Dela Torre said they initially wanted to move back to the United Centre, but there was no contiguous space available for them.