The new Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) ID card has one new feature: the image of President Rodrigo Duterte. The photo has drawn flak on social media since Palace Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson shared a photo of the card on Facebook last Sunday.
Yesterday, a Facebook account under the name Juan Nationalist criticized Uson and called her a “solid hypocrite.” The post edited together a previous post by Uson criticizing politicians that plaster their names and faces on public projects, with a photo of the new OFW card that has President Duterte’s image.
“Can we make it fair and square by removing Mr. Duterte’s image so that the OFW can have a peaceful and stress-free life? This is totally wrong! It’s better to put the HEROES, or the flag…but Duterte’s image? My goodness! What is happening to our country?” commented another Facebook user on Juan Nationalist’s post.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III defended the placing of Duterte’s photo on the ID, saying it was meant to highlight the President’s advocacy for the OFWs.
“I just want to underscore the concern of the president for our workers,” Bello told ABS-CBN News.
“We’re just showing that this is his project…He’s not a candidate.”
According to Bello, the OFW card replaces the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) of OFWs.
Previously, an OFW had to show their OEC, which can only be obtained from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA, to immigration authorities before leaving the country.
He said the cards will also soon be recognized by other government agencies such as the Social Security System, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG Fund, among others.
Bello said an initial batch of 500 OFW cards have been distributed and the government intends to distribute the cards to all OFWs and former OFWs.
He added the cards have no expiration, meaning it will be “part of the system” even after Duterte steps down.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque III, meanwhile, said the Palace had nothing to do with the decision to put Duterte’s image on the card. He will seek clarification from the president about the matter, adding the chief executive probably would not have approved of it.
“Isn’t it that even offices with his face, he wanted them replaced with heroes? I don’t think he knew about this,” Roque said.
Sought for further clarification by ABS-CBN News on whether the design of the OFW card was approved by the president, Bello said the design was an “initiative of DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment).”
Duterte enjoys strong support among OFWs, garnering a huge number of votes from the sector during the 2016 presidential polls.
with a report from ABS-CBN News
