TO protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from abuse and exploitation during their employment overseas, a party-list lawmaker has proposed to establish a global Identification system that would identify them as legitimate OFWs.
House Bill 5539, authored by Party-list Rep. Juan Johnny R. Revilla of OFW Family, said the Philippine government, through the participation of several government agencies, shall institute an identification system covering all OFWs employed abroad.
Government data showed that there is an estimated 10 million OFWs across many countries around the world.
The bill added that the OFW ID System intends to produce an OFW Card, which will serve as the primary and only identification card for all OFWs.
The OFW Card shall contain the worker’s name; date of birth; worker’s latest photo, OFW Card number; validity dates of OFW Card; Philippine passport number and expiration date; type of work visa; its validity date and expiry; country of employment and employer’s name, it said.
The measure added that the machine-readable OFW Card shall be issued in the Philippines through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for all new OFWs prior to departure to country of employment.
Currently, employed OFWs shall be issued the card by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) at the country of employment.
Moreover, the bill also said that the OFW Card will also contain electronically Social Security System (SSS) number, Pag-IBIG member number and PhilHealth membership number.
“The OFW card shall be linked with the SSS, and will provide access to the member-OFWs’ contributions summary. Similarly, the OFW Card will be linked with the Pag-IBIG Fund’s system so that the member-OFW may be able to access his or her contribution summary through the agency’s web site. It shall, likewise, be linked to the PhilHealth system to allow the member-OFW to view his or her premium payments,” the measure said.
It mandates the POEA to work closely with the Department of Labor and Employment, through the Polo; the Department of Foreign Affairs, through its Migrant Affairs Office; Philippine Statistics Authority, SSS, Pag-IBIG Fund and PhilHealth.
In filing the bill, Revilla said that the issuance of an OFW Card will serve as the primary and only identification card for all OFWs, as well as the linkage to various government agencies where the OFWs can access their services.
He said the measure is in recognition of the valuable contributions of OFWs in sustaining the country’s financial stability. “These OFWs have contributed immensely to the economic and financial development of our country through their foreign remittances that saved the Philippines from financial crisis in previous years,” Revilla said.