The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is studying a proposed policy that could affect aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who want to work abroad as direct hires.
The new proposed policy aims to prevent the Labor secretary from exempting OFWs from the country’s ban on the deployment of direct hires overseas with his permission.
Under the Section 123 of POEA’s 2016 Revised Rules and Regulations on the Recruitment and Deployment of OFWs, no employer is allowed to directly hire an OFW for overseas employment.
However, members of the diplomatic corps, international organizations, heads of state and government officials with a rank of at least deputy minister, and employers permitted by the Labor secretary are exempted from the ban under the Section 124 of POEA’s regulations.
Highly-skilled professionals like doctors and nurses are also exempted from the ban.
POEA Governing Board Chair and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he supports the proposed policy as it would ensure the direct hires’ welfare.
He also admitted that it is against his power to give discretions for direct hires because most of them are ending up working for the relatives abroad.
“I do not want to encourage this because working for their relatives will guarantee they will not be abused,” Manila Bulletin quoted Bello.
On April, Bello suspended all processing and issuance of Overseas Employment Certificate for all directly hired OFWs after he conducted an investigation on alleged anomalous activities in POEA.
He lifted the suspension a month later after the investigation was done.
Source: Manila Bulletin, GMA News, ABS-CBN News
Photo source: Wikimedia Commons
