PH President Ferdinand Romualdez “BongBong” Marcos Jr. has announced that he wants the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to work together in order to make the issuance of OEC certificate and the Contract Verification for OFWs to become automated and available on smartphones.
President BBM mentioned this during his first SONA speech and this news was welcomed by many people.
The possibility of automating the issuance of overseas employment certificates (OEC) and contract verification for our OFWs is something that many Filipinos are looking forward to. With this, our kababayans would no longer have to go through the hassle of going to a the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) or the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) just to get their documents.
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What is the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC)?
OEC is an exit clearance certificate required to all Filipinos leaving the country for employment purposes. The certificate is obtained from the POEA or the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Filipinos cannot leave the country if they do not present this OEC certificate at the immigration counter at the airport.
What is the Contract Verification?
Meanwhile, contract verification is a document that verifies that an OFW’s working conditions abroad are in accordance with the standards set by the Philippine government. OFWs usually have to verify their contracts if they switched employers or their employment abroad are not yet in the POEA system.
Why is there are need for automation of these certificates?
The automation of these certificates is important to make things easier for our kababayans who are working hard to support their families back home. With this, they would not have to go through the hassle of having to take a leave from work just to get their documents.
Priority over the OFWs is one of the mandates of the president and that is part of the job of the newly-created Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) office.
Many OFW services have been announced including the ORCC (One Repatriation Command Center) and the OFW Children’s Circle community. We hope that these programs will help make the lives of our kababayans better.
The OEC issuance’s automation will assist OFWs in a variety of ways. For one, it will allow them to acquire their OECs more quickly and effectively. Secondly, it will ensure that they are properly documented before departing the country to minimize the chance of difficulties when working abroad. Finally, it will enable them to keep track of their OECs so they can renew them on time.
Video: OEC and Contract Verification to Become Digital
ANC 24/7 recorded a video of the president’s instructions to DMW and DICT concerning the OEC and contract verification, as well as OFWs’ future plans:
Summary
The President has announced that the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will be working together to make the issuance of OEC certificates and contract verification for OFWs available on smartphones.
The automation of these certificates is important to make things easier for our kababayans who are working hard to support their families back home. With this, they would not have to go through the hassle of having to take a leave from work just to get their documents.
This announcement was welcomed by many people, as it will make things easier for OFWs in terms of getting their documents. Given that the welfare of the OFWs is a top priority, we hope that these programs will help make the lives of our kababayans better.