10-7-2023 (MANILA) President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr has directed the Department of Migrant Workers and other agencies to consider waiving fees for Overseas Employment Certification (OEC) applications. The announcement came during a meeting with the DMW, Bureau of Immigration, and Department of Information and Communications Technology, according to a Malacañang release on Sunday.
All departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are required to obtain an OEC, which serves as an exit clearance and exempts them from paying travel tax and airport terminal fees. However, the OEC requires onsite processing with a P100 charge, and the process can be cumbersome, leading to long queues and waiting times.
The DMW App will contain the OFW Pass – a secure digital version of the OEC that will serve as the digital identity of Filipino migrant workers. The OFW Pass is QR-code generated and can be acquired only through the mobile app, while the OEC requires onsite processing with a P100 charge.
Marcos has ordered the department to ensure that OFWs will not pay anything for using the mobile app and downloading the OFW Pass. The DMW is awaiting the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s approval of the app’s cybersecurity features.
Malacañang has said that the OFW Pass will replace the OEC after a two- to three-month transition period upon activation. The OFW Pass is valid until the end of the migrant worker’s work contract.
The digital OFW Pass is expected to offer several advantages over the traditional OEC. First-time OFWs, migrant workers returning to the Philippines temporarily but will be returning to the same employer, and OFWs who have transferred to a different employer or whose contracts need to be registered and verified by the Office of the Labor Attaché can avail OFW Pass.
The use of the QR code-generated OFW Pass will eliminate the need for physical documents and on-site processing, making the process faster and more convenient. The move is also expected to reduce the incidence of fake OECs, which are often procured online. In June, the Bureau of Immigration intercepted six individuals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Clark International Airport for presenting bogus OECs. All of the victims said they secured their documents through recruiters online.
