POEA mulls exempting OFW execs from paying bonds

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are holding top level position may find themselves exempted from paying the bond under the new direct hiring policy.

The possibility of extending the exemptions to OFWs with executive posts was discussed Monday night in a meeting by the governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), according to POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz.

We are now reviewing if it would be possible to include the professionals not to be covered by [payment of] the bond," Baldoz said, adding that professionals directly hired by reputable corporations are considered having the best protection.

"Therefore, they should not be included in the new policy," Baldoz said.

"The board believes that the protection [for professional OFWs] is over and above what we require because their employers are already familiar with their expertise, so there is no need to include them," Baldoz explained.

Baldoz, however, stressed that nothing is final yet, saying that all aspects of these new proposal to exempt the professionals from paying the US$5,000 repatriation bond and US$3,000 performance bond are still being reviewed.

The paying of the repatriation and performance bonds is stated in the POEA memorandum Circular 04 or the direct hiring policy.

"We are reviewing it now, but we are looking at less regulations for the professionals and we are also determining what system will apply to them," Baldoz said.

Records of the POEA indicated that in 2007, majority of those that were deployed are professional workers in particular, nurses, teachers, engineers, hotel managers as well as doctors.

Last week, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion ordered the suspension of the direct hiring policy after recruitment and migrant workers group called for its scrapping, citing the policy as anti-OFWs.

In an interview with reporters, Brion said the board had decided to implement MC-04 on a selective scheme while exempting countries like Hong Kong, Italy, Geneva since these countries are already implementing over and above the needed protection for OFWs.

Meantime, Baldoz said the POEA is set to hold a public consultation to further determine if there is a need to include other countries in the exemptions. - GMANews.TV

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