The Department of Labor and Employment lifted the suspension on the processing of direct hire overseas Filipino workers which was temporarily suspended due to reports that some employees of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration have illegally collected fees from OFWs seeking to be exempted from a ban on direct hiring.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III recalled the suspension of direct hiring of OFWs after conducting an investigation, following the discovery that some POEA were linked to illegal collection of fees.
“There will be a re-organization within the POEA,” Bello said. He said that the temporary suspension of the processing and issuance of Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) for all direct-hire OFWs was for their own protection to prevent them from falling victims to nefarious activities within the POEA. Bello directed the POEA and the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) to resume the processing and issuance of OECs, which is one of the requirements under the rules and regulations of POEA on the recruitment and employment of OFWs to ensure protection and proper documentation.
“We must ensure that our OFWs are protected when they leave the country. We should prevent them from being victims of anomalous schemes,” Bello said.
Based on the 2016 Revised Rules and Regulations on the Recruitment and Deployment of OFWs of thePOEA, Section 123 states that ‘No employer shall directly hire an overseas Filipino worker for overseas employment.’
However, Section 124 provides the exemption to include those employers who are close relatives of the OFW, members of the diplomatic corps; international organizations; heads of state and government officials with the rank of at least deputy minister; and other employers permitted by the secretary of labor.