Amid the on-going community quarantine, returning workers or Balik Manggagawa (BM) are advised to take advantage of the BM Online Evaluation for an efficient transaction on securing their travel exit clearance, or Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said yesterday.
In Memorandum Circular No. 02, Series of 2021, the POEA extended indefinitely the implementation of the BM online evaluation that supplements the existing BM Online System.
To use the expanded online evaluation, returning workers with previous online records and who have not completed their online transactions must first log-in to an existing account at www.bmonline.ph to secure their OEC.
When no OEC exemption certificate is issued by the system, the BM is prompted to make an appointment and must select the preferred date and POEA processing site.
The BM must scan or take picture of all the basic requirements for submission including their valid passport for at least six months from the date of departure, valid and appropriate visa and/or work permit, and POLO-verified employment contract.
Any proof of existing employment that the BM is returning to the same employer, such as valid company ID, recent pays slips is also needed for evaluation.
On the other hand, OFWs who are returning to the same employer but to a different country, a letter from the employer attesting the transfer of the job site must be submitted.
As additional requirements, workers must also submit online a copy of their quarantine travel pass and clearance, a copy of the page of the passport indicating the last departure and arrival date, copy of BM appointment sheet, previously issued OEC, and their confirmed itinerary.
All scanned copies of the above-mentioned documents must be submitted to the nearest authorized processing site on the date of the worker’s selected appointment.
The list of authorized POEA processing sites and their email address may be accessed at http://poea.gov.ph/memorandumcirculars/2020/MC-27-2020.pdf
The BM will receive a payment reference number once the application is approved, and may pay the fees through the preferred Bayad Center.
The BMs may print their OECs from their BM Account once the payment is confirmed.
The online evaluation, however, is not available to previously undocumented BMs, workers with no BM Online accounts, workers with watchlisted employers, workers returning to restricted markets, watchlisted workers, as well as to household service workers.
Workers who need immediate assistance on their BM online account may contact the Balik Manggagawa Processing Division at bm_retrieval@poea.gov.ph.
Meanwhile, newly-hired and returning OFWs holding overseas employment certificates (OECs) with expired validity date can have their exit clearance revalidated in any Philippine international airport on the day of their flight.
In an advisory, the POEA reiterated that OECs or exit clearances that expired during the community quarantine, lockdowns, or travel restrictions in the OFWs’ country of destination, and due to unforeseen flight cancelations shall be revalidated for deployment purposes.
As such, OFWs with expired OECs shall proceed to the POEA Labor Assistance Center (LAC) at the airport on the day of their flight and submit pertinent documents, including the original copy of their expired OEC, copy of employment contract, copy of valid work permit/visa, and their valid passport.
The LAC shall then evaluate and validate the submitted documents if the worker’s employment documents had been processed and approved by POEA.
The expired OEC will be stamped “CLEARED” after the revalidation.
Departing OFWS are strongly advised to allocate additional time to process the revalidation of their OEC at the LAC.
For further inquiries on securing OEC, OFWs can contact the POEA Balik-Manggagawa Processing Division by sending them an email at bmpd@poea.gov.ph.###
