Senator Leila de Lima lobbied for a probe into the implementation of the identification card for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
She said this aims to save the migrant workers from being “milking cows” of corrupt entities.
The detained senator filed the Senate Resolution 452 to further assess the OFW ID, which could be used by government offices and private entities to take advantage of OFWs’ money.
“Congress should ensure that the new OFW ID which seems to serve the same functions as that of the old Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) would not be used as another money-making scheme that was hastily hatched to benefit some government officials in cohorts with some quarters or private business groups,” the Senator said.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) held a “soft launch” of OFW ID on July 12. The ID, a major component of the Integrated DOLE (iDOLE) system, will replace the much-criticized OEC or “exit pass” for OFWs.
DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello remained firm that the OFW ID will be distributed for free to migrant workers, but employers or agencies will shoulder the payment for the processing of the ID cards.
De Lima fears that recruitment agencies might pass the burden to the OFWs instead.
