Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be relieved to hear that they no longer have to go through the hellish experience of securing an overseas employment certificate (OEC) starting Sep 15.
Perhaps realizing that the notorious piece of paper has brought nothing but headache, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued a resolution temporarily scrapping the OEC requirement.
This is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s mandate “to streamline processes in the deployment of OFWs.”
The OEC is meant to document and protect Filipinos working abroad. However, securing a certificate can be difficult, and OFWs tend to waste an entire day in the POEA office just to get it.
According to ABS-CBN news, the following are exempted from getting the certificate:
– Workers returning to the same employer and job site, and listed in the POEA database of OFWs
– Workers hired through POEA’s Government Placement Branch
So how does the exemption work?
Prior to their departure, returning workers will have to register at bmonline.ph (balik manggagawa), and provide personal and employment details to validate if they are indeed exempted from obtaining the OEC.
The worker’s updaed profile will serve as basis for clearance to exit the country.
Individuals who proceed to the airport without prior registration will be referred to POEA’s Labor Assistance Counter (LAC) for evaluation.
After an experimental period lasting a month, POEA will determine if the exemption will be permanent.
