DMW: OECs now free of charge

MANILA, Philippines — Departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may now obtain their overseas employment certificate (OEC) for free, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said yesterday.

“The issuance of all forms of OEC for re-hires or Balik Manggagawa shall be free of charge starting July 29,” the DMW said in a social media post.

“As such, the issuance of manual or digital OEC will not require the issuance of an official receipt,” the agency added.

The government used to charge P100 for a manually prepared OEC, which is required of all OFWs prior to leaving for jobs abroad.

DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said a monthly accountability report for the manual OEC must be submitted to the agency’s finance service and unused official receipt forms for OEC collection must be returned to and properly accounted for with the administrative office.

The DMW is pilot-testing its mobile app, which is supposed to generate a digital OFW Pass that shall eventually replace the OEC.

Last month, President Marcos directed the DMW to explore the possibility of making the application for an OEC free of charge.

The pass will remain valid until the OFW’s contract expires while the OEC is valid for only 60 days.