By Benjamin Cuaresma

MANILA — Secretary Susan Ople of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced Wednesday that the department’s modernization initiative will commence with the upcoming launch of a digital application featuring the OFW Pass, a digital alternative to the traditional Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC).

Ople revealed that the DMW mobile app is currently undergoing rigorous testing by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) before its official release. “We appreciate the assistance and support provided by the DICT in ensuring the security of our mobile app,” the secretary stated.

During her presentation at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay Forum, hosted by respected journalist Marichu Villanueva of the Philippine Star, Ople explained that the concept for the app and OFW Pass was born out of the demand from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) for a more convenient alternative to the paper-based OEC, which also requires a fee of P100.

Following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the DMW has issued an order making the OFW Pass and DMW Mobile App free for all OFW users.

“President Marcos emphasized that the OFW Pass should be provided free of charge as a tribute to the immense sacrifices and contributions of our modern-day heroes to their families and the Philippine economy as a whole,” Ople affirmed.

She cited data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showing a 3.2% increase in dollar remittances from January to April 2023 ($10,487,040) compared to the same period last year ($10,166,678).

“Given the significant and consistent contributions of our OFWs to the country’s economic growth and the well-being of their families, waiving the P100 fee for the OEC was an easy decision to make,” Ople emphasized.

The OFW Pass is scheduled to be launched once the DICT gives its approval to the DMW. The DMW mobile app will be made available on both Google Play and the Apple Store. To ensure synchronization in terms of database management and other relevant processes, the DMW and the Bureau of Immigration have signed a Memorandum of Agreement.

“Our aim is to simplify the journey of our OFWs. The OFW Pass, in contrast to the decades-old OEC, offers convenience, practicality, and is free of charge. In the future, we hope to incorporate additional features into our mobile app and integrate it with the DICT’s e-Gov app. However, for now, our focus is on educating our OFWs about the features of the OFW Pass,” Ople concluded.
(AI/MNM)

DMW Sec. Toots Ople (with mic) / B. Cuaresma