The SUN HK : Test run on OFW Pass ends, but OEC remains valid as exit clearance

The Department of Migrant Workers has announced that overseas Filipino workers will still have to continue using the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) as the valid exit clearance from the Philippines, although the pilot test run for the OFW pass has been completed.

In an advisory issued on October 15, DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac announced that the pilot test for the DMW Mobile App and the OFW Pass ended on September 29 but further evaluation as to the app's functionality and performance will still have to be carried out.

As such, the OEC "will continue to be a valid exit clearance for OFWs until further notice," said the advisory.

This means, the OFW Pass which was conceived to eliminate long queues at the Migrant Workers' Office by OFWs about to go home, is still on hold.

The faster and more comprehensive system of keeping track of all OFWs was .supposed to have come into effect on September 1

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Aa before, OECs can be obtained through the Balik-Manggagawa processing system of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), where they need to be registered if they are first-time OFWs.

The OEC which used to cost $20 and has a validity of 60 days after issuance has been issued free to all OFWs as of last month. Before this, only those who were registered in Balik-Manggagawa were exempted from paying for the OEC if they were returning to the same employer.

OECs serve as travel clearance for OFWs departing the Philippines, and exempt them from paying for travel tax and the airport terminal fee.

Had the shift to OFW Pass happened as scheduled, migrant workers would not have to keep applying for an exit pass each time they go home as the OFW Pass is meant to be valid for as long as they continue working abroad.

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In his advisory, Cacdac said the OFW Pass will remain available to users from the 10 pilot areas where it was tested – Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and the United Kingdom.

However, they will still be unable to use this in lieu of the OEC unless the new system gets the all-clear from the DMW.

Cacdac said the OFW Pass will be made available to other countries and territories in the future, following consultations with MWOs and OFWs in these locations.

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The decision to use the OFW Pass, which is built into the DMW App, will be made after evaluating the app’s functionality and performance, and fixes had been added to improve it, said Cacdac. Also to be evaluated will be DMW’s capacity to manage the app.

As of this writing, the DMW mobile app on the Apple App Store has only one-star reviews from users, who mainly complained about technical bugs and the difficulty of registering and logging in to their accounts.

The DMW app can be downloaded for free at https://dmw-mobile-app.en.softonic.com/android/download.

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Among its features are:

1. Online application for the OFW Pass, a replacement for the OEC.

2. A repository of the OFW’s vital information, such as passport details, personal details, and employment contracts.

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3. Directory access to help and hotlines of all Philippine embassies, Consulates, and Migrant Worker Offices worldwide.

And since the app operates through the use of a mobile phone, users no longer need to remember passwords, which has been the main reason many OFWs spend hours falling in line in MWOs just to get their OEC or exemption every time they travel.