The country launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash
world3 days ago
Filipino expats who are travelling home for vacation no longer need to pay the Php100 fee for their overseas employment certificate (OEC) — once the digital version becomes available.
The Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Thursday that the upcoming Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Pass will be free of cost. The OFW Pass serves as the digital alternative to the OEC paper, a requirement for every expat working abroad.
The OFW Pass is set to be launched as soon as the government's Department of Information and Communications Technology gives the green light, according to a report in the state-run Philippine News Agency.
“[Philippine] President Ferdinand Marcos Jr made it clear that the OFW Pass should be free in honour of the huge sacrifices being made and contributions of our modern-day heroes to the needs of their respective families and the Philippine economy as a whole,” said DMW Secretary Susan Ople.
Aside from the OFW Pass, the department is also set to launch its DMW Mobile App, which will also be free.
Currently, the DMW app is undergoing rigorous testing, Ople said.
Ople said the DMW mobile app is undergoing rigorous testing by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) before its formal launch.
“Our goal is to make the journey of our OFWs much easier. The OFW Pass, in comparison with the decades-old OEC, is convenient, practical, and free of use. In the next phase, we hope to be able to add more features to our mobile app and integrate this with the e-Gov app of the DICT, but for now, we prefer to focus on educating our OFWs on the features of the OFW Pass,” Ople said.
On average, DMW issues as many as 6,719 OECs to OFWs daily.
An OEC is a document that certifies the regularity of Filipino expats’ employment. While it is not a requirement to travel to the Philippines, the expats will need to present the document to be able to fly back to the UAE, or any other country they are working in.
“Foregoing the Php100 per OEC charge was an easy decision to make given the enormous and consistent contributions of our OFWs to the country’s economic growth and the sustenance of their families,” Ople said.
ALSO READ:
The country launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash
world3 days ago
This time around, Trump wants the Senate to give up that gatekeeping role and allow him to make 'recess appointments'
world3 days ago
Police allege the offences took place between 2001 and 2019 against 8 victims; the youngest was 17 at the time of the offence
world3 days ago
The two countries have a mutual defence treaty dating back to 1951, which could be invoked if either side came under attack, including in the South China Sea
world3 days ago
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger on Narendra Modi in Abuja on Sunday
world4 days ago
The titleholder's winning answer focused on using each individual's strengths
world4 days ago
The suspects would be interrogated jointly with the Shin Bet internal security agency, police said
world4 days ago
The attack took place at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Jiangsu province
world5 days ago