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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Overseas Employment Certification issuance now free—PCO

Overseas Employment Certification issuance now free—PCO

Published Jul 23, 2023 05:54 am
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said that migrant Filipino workers no longer have to pay additional fees when they request their Overseas Employment Certification (OEC) using the new mobile app of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
*OFW Pass (DMW/RTVM Screenshot)*

The PCO said this citing an interview with DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac in Quezon City on Saturday, July 22. In his interview, Cacdac said the agency had requested the Department of Finance (DOF) to allow them to make the issuance of the OEC cost-free. "Okay po iyan para sa ating mga bagong bayani, mga OFWs (That is completely okay for our new heroes— our OFWs). No need to pay," he said. "Libre, so go ahead po. So, mayroong pagbasbas ng DOF nitong pagkalibre ng OFW Pass (It's free. So go ahead. The OFW Pass being free has the blessing of our DOF)," he added. The DMW mobile app, launched on Friday, July 21, and is still on its pilot run, streamlines the documentation process for legitimate OFWs, replacing the traditional OEC with the QR code-based OFW pass. The app requires basic information and uploaded photos of the passport and visa information of the applicant, which will then be cross-referenced with the DMW database. Once the information is verified, the app will generate a QR code. Cacdac said the DMW database and the system of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) are integrated so that the OFW Pass will serve as official documentation recognized by the immigration authorities during checks at the airport. According to the PCO, the DMW eyes about 7 million OFWs who will benefit from the initiative once it goes into full implementation. “We are still on the pilot run…so it will take a few days and maybe weeks. There will be a proper announcement ng full blast launch niya, paggamit na open na sa lahat (of its full-blast launch and it will be open to all),” he said. Cacdac also acknowledged the online system is entirely an in-house process developed and managed by DMW’s ICT group. He ensured that 24/7 technical support would be accessible through links within the application in case there were glitches and issues when using the application.

Related Tags

OFW Pass hans leo cacdac Overseas Employment Certificate Department of Migrant Workers Presidential Communications Office
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