POEA ready to serve returning OFWs

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is ready to service the huge number of Filipinos returning for the holidays. Administrator Hans Cacdac said the POEA will launch the Balik Manggagawa program on Monday which will give vacationing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) the option to set an appointment online for the processing of their exit clearance or overseas employment certificate (OEC).      

Cacdac said the POEA has put up counters at its main office in Mandaluyong, Duty Free Philippines in Parañaque and SM Manila to accommodate those getting their exit clearance at a specific date and time. OFWs are advised to use the appointment system particularly during the peak months of March, April, May, November, December and January, he added.      The appointment service is free and available at bmappointment.poea.gov.ph, he added.     

However, Cacdac said the POEA has not discontinued its facility for walk-in clients.

“We are just starting out with the system and we believe that OFWs without access to Internet would still prefer getting their OEC the usual way without setting an appointment with us,” he said.