Filipino expats in the UAE will have to wait for a couple of months before they can avail of the eagerly anticipated OFW (overseas Filipino workers) ID that will be launched in Manila on Wednesday. Felicitas Bay, Philippine Labour Attaché to Dubai and northern emirates, told Khaleej Times: "We have not received any instructions or operational guidelines yet from the main office" (in Manila) regarding the OFW ID that will replace the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC). An OEC is a travel document or exit pass that has to be presented at international ports of exit in the Philippines before an OFW can return to the country of his/ her employment. The OFW ID, also called iDOLE (ID of the Department of Labor and Employment), is set to replace the OEC starting July 12. No less than Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is expected to grace the launch event on Wednesday. Aside from serving as an ID for migrant Filipinos, the OFW ID can also be used in lieu of other Philippine government IDs, including Social Security System, Pag-IBIG Fund, and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation cards. Eventually, Filipino expats can also use the OFW ID for other government transactions like getting a police clearance or as an ATM or debit card to send money back home via the proposed OFW Bank. Philippine Labour Minister Silvestre Bello III announced last week that the OFW is free of cost. "All we need is to conduct an inventory of all the bonafide OFWs based on the list of the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration), in conjunction with the Department of Labor, then we will start processing the IDs," he said. Filipino expats in the UAE welcomed the move by the Philippine government. "Replacing the OEC with an OFW ID is good news," former FilCom (Filipino Community) president Alan Bacason said. "It will be an all-in-one ID, much like the Emirates ID. It is also a good way to properly monitor the OFWs not just in the UAE but around the world." (OFWs worldwide number around 10 million, according to Philippine official records). "In the meantime, for those who will take a break or will attend to some concerns in the Philippines and will return to the same employer (in the UAE), you may wish to apply online for your OEC as this will facilitate your exit from the Philippines," Bay told Khaleej Times. Bay also advised her kababayans (countrymen) to regularly check www.polodubaiportal.org for updates on the OFW ID. "Should there be any official pronouncement/ guidelines, we will post them at the POLO-Dubai (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) portal," she noted. angel@khaleejtimes.com
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