DOLE activates virus tracking system for returning OFWs

MANILA, Philippines — A database to keep track of all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who intend to return to the country during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has been activated, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced Thursday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS) will help the government keep track of the whereabouts of returning OFWs.

Thus, this will help facilitate their orderly repatriation and provision of assistance to the huge number of returning OFWs.

“An oasis symbolizes hope in a desert of trials. The system that we created aims to give our OFWs a ray of hope by ensuring that we provide them efficient and timely assistance to ease their anxieties when returning home in the midst of this pandemic,” Bello said.

How does it work?

According to DOLE, OASIS was developed by crisis management personnel from the labor department, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

It serves as a database for OFWs who were displaced abroad due to the pandemic and were forced to return home, thus allowing the government to immediately determine the kind of assistance they need upon their arrival in the country.

By tracking the returning OFWs, DOLE will know the airlines they had boarded, their health conditions, local addresses, and other relevant data that will help the government provide the assistance they need.

The system will likewise help DOLE identify and classify arriving OFWs in order “to facilitate their organized arrival at the airport, efficient swab testing, and rapid pick up and transport to their respective hotels and homes and other necessary processes,” said the labor department.

How can OFWs be tracked?

OFWs are urged to register online through oasis.owwa.gov.ph where a registration option is available. Once clicked, OFWs will be asked to fill out a form.

OFWs should check the box to certify they have read the form, understood its contents and give consent to process their data under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, and submit their form.

Once done, a link will then be sent to their emails to notify them that they have successfully registered in the OASIS system.

DOLE reminds OFWs that the forms should be properly accomplished to make the tracking system work effectively.

/MUF