POEA all set for OFWs coming home for Christmas

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration is preparing to accommodate the expected arrival of thousands of returning overseas Filipino workers for the Christmas holidays. There will be additional counters in its Balik-Manggagawa Processing Center in Ortigas for the processing of Workers-on-Leave (WOL) or Balik-Manggagawa (BMs), according to POEA administrator Rosalinda Baldoz. The agency has also assigned more evaluators, assessors and cashiers from POEA, OWWA and PhilHealth to man the additional counters. A worker-on-leave or Balik-Manggagawa refers to an OFW who is on vacation or on leave and is returning to the same employer. The returning workers have the option to have their documents processed at the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in their respective worksites before their vacation or in the POEA regional offices. To get the BM/WOL certificate, the OFW will have to submit a valid passport, re-entry visa, work permit, or any equivalent document and proof that the worker is returning to the same employer. Household Service Workers (HSWs) from Singapore are required to present a copy of their latest employment contract duly verified by the POLO in Singapore, Baldoz said. Cabin crew/ flight attendants, offshore workers and other work classification with frequent vacations may avail of the Multiple Travel Exit Clearance (MTEC), she said. MTEC is a set of two or more clearances issued to OFWs for use as an exit document within a period of twelve months from date of issuance. It allows the OFW who exit from the Philippines more than once in a year to secure his exit clearance on a one- time basis. Fees The fees that a worker-on-leave shall pay to register and secure an e-receipt/ Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) are P 100.00 for POEA processing fee, P 900.00 for PhilHealth coverage and P 1,275.00 for OWWA membership contribution. A worker-on-leave with valid OWWA membership and PhilHealth coverage would have to pay P 100.00 for POEA processing fee. The e-receipt , OEC and MTEC serves as the OFW’s travel exit clearance and exemptions from payment of travel tax and airport terminal fee. The Overseas Employment Certificate or e-receipt is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance. Copies of the e-receipt or OEC will be presented to the airline for ticketing, POEA Labor Assistance Center (LAC) for validation and Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) counter at the airport before departure. The POEA has offices in the cities of San Fernando, La Union; Baguio ; Clark, Angeles; Calamba, Laguna; Legaspi, Albay; Tacloban; Bacolod; Iloilo; Cebu; Cagayan de Oro; Zamboanga; Davao and Cotabato. Returning OFWs may also avail of the Balik-Manggagawa exit clearance delivery system thru Teleserv and Multiple Travel Exit Clearance (MTEC) at the POEA main office, Baldoz said. - GMANews.TV