OFW employment certificate to be free of charge via app —DMW

Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) availing of Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC) will soon get them for free and hassle-free through an app.

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he wants the P100 fee for the certificate waived.

“May mga kababayan tayo lalo yung professionals nakakauwi yan minsan twice a month so twice a month nila iisipin ang OEC,” she said.

“Ang ginawa namin nakatali na sa duration ng contract ng worker so as long as hindi siya nagpapalit ng employer o lumilipat ng bansa ang contract na yun walang pagbabago nasa data base namin yun,” Ople added.

Waiving the charge for the OEC of land-based OFWs could result in some P250 million loss in government revenues. 

Ople, however, said the amount is small compared to the contributions of Filipino overseas to the country’s coffers.

Following this development, Filipino seafarers are asking the government to also waive the P600 that they pay to get their record book and seaman identification.

Meanwhile, Ople also announced that the DMW is coming up with an “OFW Pass” app that can be downloaded on mobile phones.

The app will spare OFWs from the long lines to secure their OEC, which takes hours.

She said the app has secured the approval of the President but still needs the review of the Department of Information and Communications Technology to ensure it is secure.

“Digital na siya hindi na siya papel gaya ng OEC, hindi na kailangan sila pumila to obtain the pass kasi  nasa cellphone na nila yun they just need to show it sa Bureau of Immigration,” Ople said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News