DOLE Mulls New ID System for OFWs

The Department of Labor and Employment plans to create a new ID system for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amid controversies surrounding the OFW ID.

Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III said he has instructed Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Hans Cacdac to head the committee that will create the proposal.

“I told admin Cacdac he should hopefully come up with a recommendation before the SONA (State of the Nation Address),” Bello told Business Mirror.

Bello said the distribution of the iDOLE or OFW cards will continue and will work separately from the proposed national ID system as OFW ID caters specifically to the needs of OFWs.

In December 2017, DOLE began issuing the first batch of OFW IDs as Duterte’s “best gift” to millions of Filipinos working overseas.

OFW IDs work as overseas employment certificates (OEC), which is a requirement for OFWs leaving and returning to the country.

However, it was later scrapped after some online users offered OFWs the ID in exchange of payment.

OFW ID as temporary substitute for lost passports

Earlier, Bello expressed his intention to have OFW IDs approved as temporary substitute for lost passports of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Bello said he would request foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to approve the alternate use of the OFW card, which was recently dubbed as “wallet filler” by ACTS-OFW partylist representative Aniceto “John” Bertiz III.

“Pwedeng gamiting temporary passport, of course in coordination with DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs). Minsan kasi ang ating mga kababayan abroad, nawawala nila yung kanilang passport. This will serve as their temporary passport. For approval ‘yan ng DFA,” Bello said in an interview with DZMM.

(Source: FilipinoTimes.net)