Announcements View Archive
Filipinos in UAE to benefit from new migrant workers law
Date Posted: 09/28/2017
MANILA – Tens of thousands of Filipinos will benefit under a new law on migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates, the department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. These include payment of wages within 10 days from the due date, 12 hours of rest per per day including 8 consecutive hours of rest, 1 paid... Read More
DFA: Online appointments for passport application now easier
Date Posted: 09/18/2017
MANILA- Applying for a passport may now be easier with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) redesigned online appointment system. Passport applicants can now see, at first glance, available dates for an appointment, which are marked green on the website. Dates that are fully booked meanwhile are marked red. A feedback mechanism was also incorporated... Read More
Qatar enacts law to protect foreign domestic workers
Date Posted: 08/30/2017
DOHA – Qatar’s ruler has introduced a law giving broad protection to tens of thousands of foreigners working as maids, cooks, cleaners and nannies, addressing some concerns long highlighted by human rights groups. The new rules on foreign domestic staff mandate a maximum of 10 hours per working day with breaks for prayer, rest and... Read More
DFA Opens Thousands of Appointment Slots for Passport Application and Renewal
Date Posted: 08/25/2017
24 August 2017 — Thousands of appointment slots are now available to those who wish to apply for and renew their passports, after the Department of Foreign Affairs implemented sweeping reforms. Assistant Secretary Frank Cimafranca of the Office of Consular Affairs said an additional 94,350 slots were opened from July to August, while thousands more... Read More
OFW remittances up 5.5% to $2.3B in May
Date Posted: 07/18/2017
Ahead of the opening of classes, cash sent home by Filipinos abroad through banks in May grew 5.5 percent year-on-year to $2.31 billion, keeping monthly remittances above the $2-billion level for the 16th straight month. Cash remittances last May increased from $2.19 billion a year ago and exceeded the $2.08 billion in April, the latest... Read More
ID for OFWs launched today
Date Posted: 07/12/2017
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is launching today the identification card for millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the iDOLE, or the DOLE’s identification card for OFWs, is set to be launched in a simple ceremony in Malacañang this morning. The DOLE initially prepared... Read More
DOLE scraps OEC, replaces it with OFW ID
Date Posted: 07/7/2017
By the end of July, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will no longer need to secure an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) before their deployment, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III. Instead, Filipino migrant workers will be given an OFW ID for free, Bello said in an interview by Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson,... Read More
Gov’t strengthens medical repatriation efforts for OFWs
Date Posted: 06/22/2017
Various government agencies have signed a Joint Memorandum Circular strengthening the process of medical repatriation for documented and undocumented Filipinos overseas. The circular aims to put into place an “integrated system and process flow on medical repatriation” to ensure a timely and well-coordinated delivery of assistance to OFWs in need, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre... Read More
PHL lifts deployment suspension, allows new hires to go to Qatar
Date Posted: 06/15/2017
Even newly hired Filipino workers can now be deployed to Qatar following the total lifting of the deployment moratorium, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced on Thursday. In a statement, Bello said the decision came after consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and upon the recommendation of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). “This... Read More
OFWs can now pay OWWA membership fee through mobile app
Date Posted: 06/13/2017
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can now pay their Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) fee through their smartphones, after the agency upgraded its mobile application. Announced during Migrant Workers Day in Pasay City last week, the OWWA mobile app on Google Playstore now allows members to pay their biannual $25 membership fee in the absence of... Read More