Filipinos in UAE have to wait for OFW IDs

dubai — Filipino expats in the UAE have to wait for a couple of months before they can avail of the eagerly anticipated OFW (overseas Filipino workers) ID that will be launched in Manila on Wednesday.

Felicitas Bay, Philippine Labour Attaché to Dubai and the northern emirates, told Khaleej Times: “We have not received any instructions or operational guidelines yet from the main office (in Manila) regarding the OFW ID that will replace the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC).”

An OEC is a travel document or exit pass that has to be presented at international ports of exit in the Philippines before an OFW can return to the country of his/ her employment. The OFW ID, also called iDOLE (ID of the Department of Labor and Employment), is set to replace the OEC starting July 12.

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte himself is expected to attend the launch event on Wednesday. Aside from serving as an ID for migrant Filipinos, the OFW ID can also be used in lieu of other Philippine government IDs, including Social Security System, Pag-IBIG Fund, and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation cards.

Eventually, Filipino expats can also use the OFW ID for other government transactions like getting a police clearance or as an ATM or debit card to send money back home via the proposed OFW Bank.

Philippine labour minister Silvestre Bello III announced last week that the OFW is free of cost. “All we need is to conduct an inventory of all the bonafide OFWs based on the list of the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration), in conjunction with the Department of Labour, then we will start processing the IDs,” he said.

angel@khaleejtimes.com