The DOLE, through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs), intensifies its efforts to ensure that OFWs, particularly those in vulnerable occupations, are properly documented as a form of protection.

The POEA evaluates and processes the documents of applicants for overseas employment to ensure that their contracts conform to the standards and requirements governing the employment of Filipino workers overseas; and issues the Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) to certify that they have valid overseas employment contracts to work overseas.

To facilitate faster processing of documents, the POEA implements the following:

1. New Hires Online Services for Recruitment and Manning Agencies.These involve the submission to the POEA by licensed agencies recruiting land-based and sea-based workers of their new hires’ employment documents using the Internet, and paying the processing fees online. The online services, which promote paperless transactions, save time, track updates, and costs less, include the e-Payment System for Agency-Hired Workers, Online Recruitment Application on Special Recruitment Authority (SRA) and Letter of Authority.
2. Balik-Manggagawa (BM) Online Processing System.This is a web-based facility that enables the Balik-Manggagawa (BM) or vacationing OFW to apply online for Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) and have the approved OEC printed by him/her anywhere, anytime. The system aims to expedite the issuance of OEC to vacationing OFWs who will return to their respective foreign employers/ principals. The opening page of the system contains an instructional video that will guide the BM in using the facility.

OFWs on vacation returning to the same employer/principal and jobsite, with employment visa/work permit, have a record in the POEA database, and previously issued OEC/E-Receipt under the same employer/principal may avail of the BM Online Processing System.

On-site, the POLOs conduct verification of overseas employment documents to ensure that the Job Orders are authentic and sufficient, and the terms and conditions of employment in the individual contracts are fair, decent, and just, in accordance with the Philippine Laws, ensuring that labor and social welfare laws in the receiving country are fairly applied to migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos.