POEA issuing travel exit clearances during holidays

MANILA, Philippines - To accommodate the thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who are currently in the country on vacation, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Friday said it will issue travel exit clearances (TEC) even during the holidays. Administrator Jennifer Manalili said the Balik-Manggagawa Processing Division at the POEA’s main at the Edsa-Ortigas corner, together with the agency’s regional and satellite offices, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on December 26 and 29 and January 2 to issue TECs. A TEC is a document needed by an overseas worker to avail of travel exemption. An example of this is the Overseas Employment Certificate, E-Receipt, and the so-called Multiple Travel Exit Clearance. To avoid hassle, Manalili urged those who have not yet secured their TECs do so early and not wait for the last day before their return abroad. An estimated 50,000 OFWs are expected to get their TECs this month and in January. The 10 regional and satellite offices that would be open can be found in La Union, Pampanga, Calamba in Laguna, Legaspi City, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Bacolod, Davao City, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga City.- Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV