Departing workers get priority for OFW ID card

MANILA, Philippines -  Departing overseas Filipino workers will be the first to get the Department of Labor and Employment’s OFW identification card or IDOLE, an official said yesterday.

“Initially we will be issuing IDOLE to those who are just going out of the country, then as we go on, we will be also issuing to those who are already abroad,” Undersecretary Dominador Say said.

DOLE and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration are set to hold a meeting today with members of the recruitment industry “to ensure that there will be no hitch when the ID system is officially launched on Wednesday in Malacañang,” Say said.

The government will set up an online application and payment system for the card. “The ID will be issued free to OFWs, but their employers will be required to shoulder the cost,” Say said.  

The IDOLE will replace the overseas employment certificate required of departing OFWs.