Nov. 15, 2017

LABOR ADVISORY:

Effective November 15, 2017 and until December 1, 2017, the Department of Labor and Employment in the Philippines has issued a temporary suspension of OEC issuances, affecting only the following segment of OEC applicants:
a) Directly-hired applicants with no Philippine agency affiliation
b) Applicants backed by a Philippine recruitment agency

Please note that workers with visas issued on or before 1700 hours of November 12, 2017 may go to POEA to request to be excluded from this suspension, provided that the applicant shows the original visa clearly showing an issuance date on or before November 12, 2017, accompanied with an English translation if the visa is not in English, and an original receipt.

Also excluded from this 15-working day suspension are:
- Returning workers or Balik Manggagawa;
- Seafarers hired by manning agencies;
- Government hired workers;
- Workers hired by members of the diplomatic corps and royal families;
- Workers hired by international organizations;

This suspension was issued by the Department of Labor and Employment to address concerns about illegal recruitment practices in the Philippines and in other countries where Overseas Filipino Workers are recruited. This suspension allows time for the Department of Labor and Employment to craft and implement improved practices at POEA that better protects our Overseas Filipino Workers from exploitation.

This advisory is per Department Order No. 185, Series of 2017, issued by the Department of Labor and Employment by the authority of Honorable Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, and whose implementation was clarified by Memorandum Circular 10, Series of 2017, issued by the Philippine Overseas Labor Administration (POEA) by the authority of Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia, Officer In Charge of POEA.