Review of gov’t policies on OFWs urged

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN—Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) here are urging the Aquino government to review the country’s policies on migrant workers.

One of the policies they would want to be reviewed is the requirement for OFWs to secure an overseas exit clearance (OEC) every time they travel back home, said Angelito Belizario, an officer of the Filipino Association in Brunei and the general manager of the Belcorp company here.

“When I first came here in 1973, there was no such thing as an OEC. This started only during the time of the late labor minister Blas Ople,” he said.

According to Belizario, a labor attaché, when asked what the document was all about, said “so that we can authenticate that you’re a legitimate OFW.”

Belizario said the labor attaché also told him the OEC was seen to prevent illegal recruitment.

Labor Attaché Ana Dione explained that the OEC was being required because the government wants to put a halt to human trafficking and illegal recruitment.

She also said that securing OECs was not as difficult as OFWs claim.

“There’s no problem processing the OEC if there’s no discrepancy in the working or travel papers of an OFW. We can finish processing it in 10 minutes if there are no changes in their documents,” Dione said.

Another policy that OFWs here want reviewed is the mandatory membership in the Overseas Workers Welfare Office.

According to Belizario, there is no clear legal basis for the membership, for which OFWs have to pay P1,230.

He said a petition was sent to Malacañang last April 26, asking President Aquino to order a review of migrant workers policies. As nothing has been heard since of that petition, another one was passed around for signatures, he said.

Meanwhile, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has announced that it is offering P5 million worth of scholarships for English-language training in a bid to reduce the effect on OFWs of the sudden change in Saudi Arabia’s policy on foreign workers.

It is feared that Saudi Arabia’s so-called Saudization, or policy of hiring more of its own nationals, could displace tens of thousands of Filipinos already working in the kingdom or intending to go there for jobs.

The scholarship program is aimed at improving OFWs’ qualifications so they can be deployed for possible employment in Australia and Canada, which the government earlier said “may absorb Filipinos to be affected by Saudization.”

Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva said the scholarships will be available to an initial 1,000 returned OFWs and will be conducted according to the International English Language Test System and Test of English as a Foreign Language. With a report from Tarra Quismundo