The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the government will soon trim down its processing requirements for overseas Filipinos workers (OFW) seeking an exemption from the government’s ban on direct-hiring abroad.

Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III disclosed he has instructed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to remove plane tickets and verification of documents/requirements to ease the application woes of direct-hires.

“Many of them tend to buy plane tickets before their exemption has been approved. That is why we are pressured to release their exemption since some of them have already their flights scheduled,” Bello told reporters in an interview last week.

Undersecretary Dominador Say, who is part of the team tasked to streamline the processing, said this affects the assessment of the applications.

Say said they might still consider requiring direct-hires to present their plane tickets, but only after their exemption has already been approved by the Labor Secretary.

Say and other POEA officials are expected to present the proposed new system for direct-hires this week.

Under POEA regulations, OFWs, who are directly hired abroad, should get clearance from DOLE before they are deployed.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Samuel P. Medenilla

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