By Daisy CL Mandap
 |
| Asst Labor Attache Angel Sunga disclosed the plan in The SUN Interviews |
The Department of Migrant Workers is planning to
link the overseas employment certificate (OEC) to contract verification in a
bid to ease the long-standing problem encountered by many overseas Filipino
workers in securing the pass that they need before they are allowed to
leave the country.
This was according to Assistant Labour Attache
Angelica Sunga during a Facebook Live interview with The SUN last Wednesday, during
which she was asked why the government is still insisting on requiring outbound
OFWs to secure the OEC, despite it serving no obvious purpose.
“There have
been talks po na i-link na yung OEC sa verification pa lang, so hintayin po
natin yun. Pag mag verify ka ng kontrata, may OEC ka na. Inaayos na po, it’s a
work in progress,” said ALA Sunga.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
(There have been talks of linking the OEC to the
verification of contracts, so let’s wait for that. If you get your contract
verified, you will already have an OEC. It’s in the works, it’s a work in
progress.)
Sunga said the plan is the brainchild of Department
of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, who is also pushing for the
digitization of both the OEC and contract verification. This would mean that
personal appearance could also be dispensed with when verifying contracts with
the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.
Sunga’s disclosure was in response to a call for the
scrapping of the OEC from Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant
Workers. Echoing the call of most Filipino community leaders, Palma said the
OEC is superfluous because all OFWs already have employment visas in their
passports which could serve as proof that they still have obs waiting for them
abroad.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
“Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko maisip kung bakit
nandyan pa rin ang OEC na pahirap (sa mga OFW) mula noon hanggang ngayon,”
said Palma. “Ano pa ba ang gusto nilang
patunayan ng mga OFW?”
(Until
now, I can’t see the reason why the OEC is still around, when it has caused
hardship to OFWs in the past, and until now. What more do they want the OFWs to
prove?”
Sunga
said even Polo is looking forward to getting this plan implemented, admitting
that the OEC has been giving headaches not only to OFWs but also to their
staff.
 |
| Global Alliance's OEC desk at St Joseph's church was packed last Sunday |
“Lahat
na lang online, inaasa sa teknolohiya, sumasabay kuno sa modernization pero di
naman sila nagtuturo, hindi angkop,” she said. “Sobrang walang malasakit ang
mga nasa gobyerno. Dapat sa kanila mag-resign.”
(They
are trying to do everything online, relying on technology and keeping up
ostensibly with modernization but they do not even provide training, it’s not
right. Those in government do not care about us at all. They should ust
resign).
 |
| Press for details |
The
longtime migrant rights advocate was feeling frustrated, having just issued a
call for Sunday protests against the often-chaotic process of obtaining the OEC
just days before hundreds, if not thousands, of OFWs are set to go home for the
Christmas holidays.
Despite
the many complaints aired by OFWs who find it difficult, even impossible,
navigating the new online portal set up for obtaining the OEC, Polo has seen it
fit not to keep the volunteers who used to provide help in gaining access to
the all-important document.
Sunga
said this was done to prevent Polo being accused of providing OFWs with parttime
employment.
 |
| BASAHIN ANG DETALYE |
However,
even the Consulate has had to rely on the help of OFW volunteers to maintain
orderly queuing for those on the way to its offices, and when big events are
being held, such as the overseas voting for Filipinos.
Because
no physical help is provided to those who cannot or do not even know how to access
their employment records online, various groups such as Social Justice, Global
Alliance, Mission Movers and Domestic Workers Corner, have been setting up
makeshift desks in various places across the city to provide assistance.
Some
businesses operating in United Centre, the building where both the Consulate
and Polo are located, have taken advantage of this problem by also lending a
hand – for a price. Their charges range between $40 and $100, and often, this
is just to help workers set an appointment with Polo.
Asked
why they could not accommodate walk-in applicants, like what the Hong Kong Immigration
Department does, Sunga said they do entertain them, but only at around 4pm,
when all those with appointments had been served.
But,
she hastened to clarify, this is not the typical walk-in assistance, as the OFW
still has to secure an appointment first on another date and time. “So we can
see your records,” she said.
But
even with Polo assisting, there are certain cases where the OFW is told that
nothing could be done for them in Hong Kong. Instead, they must go to the nearest
branch of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) – no matter
how far from their home – to secure the all-important exit pass.
Often,
these are the workers who, in utter frustration because they keep forgetting
the email address they registered earlier, or their password, have created new
accounts just so they could obtain an OEC before going home.
 |
| POLO warns, having multiple accounts could lead you to trouble |
In yet another blow, the Polo issued a warning yesterday that those who created “multiple accounts” could be construed as having committed misrepresentation, and as such, be subjected to legal action.
There
were many other concerns raised during the online interview with ALA Sunga and
the four Filcom leaders who have personal knowledge of the difficulties
encountered by practically all those who had tried to access the OEC portal.
Apart
from issues they encountered navigating the website or failing to advance to
the next page to set up an interview, there were also a lot of problems getting
a new password to their accounts, and the long delay in getting a “ticket” for setting
up an appointment at Polo.
Questions
were raised also as to why membership in Pag-IBIG Fund was made mandatory for
all those applying for an OEC.
Everyone
agreed that the only way these problems could be overcome was to junk the OEC,
once and for all.
 |
| PADALA NA! |
 |
| CALL US! |
