The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) has recorded a great surge in the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) having their documents verified, indicating a growing trend over the years.
During the 9th edition of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition (PPIE), Atty. John Rio Bautista, Labor Attaché in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, shared that the number of individual verified contracts reached an all-time high of 92,614 last year from 72,556 contracts recorded in 2019.
Contract verification refers to the procedure being conducted or applied by the Labor Attaché to ensure that all the employment rights, benefits and welfare of Filipino migrant workers at the worksite are duly protected.
The primary reason behind the OFWs’ visits to the MWO is the verification of their employment contracts—a crucial prerequisite for obtaining an overseas employment certificate (OEC). This essential document serves as an exit pass and functions like a clearance document which allows workers to be deployed for overseas employment.
“To get an OEC, a duly verified employment contract would be required,” Bautista said during his presentation in the PPIE.
The Labor Attaché and the evaluators shall ensure that the employment contracts of OFWs are consistent with the prevailing employment laws, standards and practices in both the Philippines and the host country, and that the documentary requirements for overseas employment are complied with.
“In the process of contract verification, the evaluators would need to ascertain if workers are being treated right or that they are really working in the company, individual household name stamped on their visa,” Bautista explained.
“The requirements for contract verification are the contract, passport, visa, and additional proof of employment for company visa holders. For domestic workers, the requirements would be the contract, passport, visa, and the DMW (Department of Migrant Workers) prescribed addendum to the employment contract,” he enumerated.
According to Bautista, the MWO Dubai offers four options on contract verification given that over 700,000 OFWs are under the jurisdiction of Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
1. OFWs may set an appointment in the DMW Dubai website. The appointment system accommodates 150 slots everyday. We have a leave time of two weeks for the online appointment.
2. If workers were unable to set an appointment due to full slots, they also have the option to submit their documents online in the online submission system of the MWO Dubai. This submission form is an initiative of the office and does not exist anywhere else.
With the tagline “Save Time, Go Online,” the online submission makes the process easier for OFWs and gives them another option to have their documents verified.
Since we initiated this last June of 2022, we have approved online submissions for more than 15,000 contracts.
3. Workers are likewise allowed to walk-in one working day prior to their flight for the contract verification.
4. Lastly, if they were not able to have their documents verified before leaving for the Philippines, their authorized representative will be accommodated at the MWO five days before their flight back to the UAE or three days before their OEC appointment in the Philippines.
Likewise, Bautista noted that the office offers special MWO and consular services during weekends.
Related Story:
OEC Guide: Labor Attaché Atty. John Rio Bautista bares everything you need to know about OEC
The turnover: OFW services shift to DMW
