AN official of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) yesterday rejected the idea of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) being cleared for deployment based merely on their employment contracts and passports.
In a radio interview, DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac likewise rebuffed calls to scrap the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) and the yet-to-be-launched Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Pass.
“It is not that simple as in showing one’s passport and then their employment contract. For the passport, we need to evaluate if they really have work visas. For their contracts, we need to see if the terms and conditions of employment are in accordance with not just our laws but those of the host country,” Cacdac explained.
He insisted it the mandate of the DMW to ensure that OFWs are protected, and that necessary assistance will be available to them in cases of emergency.
“(These processes) are the ones that can provide protection to the OFWs as we will have a database that will tell us where they are anywhere in the world in case of emergency,” said Cacdac.
For now, he said the DMW can just offer to OFWs the easing of the process in acquiring such a clearance for deployment by replacing the OEC with OFW Pass.
“Gone will be the days where OFWs need to be physically (present) in our offices and queue for several hours for the OEC, as we are making the process more convenient through the OFW Pass,” said Cacdac.
Earlier, the DMW said they are set to launch the digital OFW Pass to replace the traditional OEC.
In response, Migrante International said the authenticated and verified employment contract and the working visa stamped in the Philippine passport should already be enough to prove that an OFW is legitimate.
