There are rules and procedures involved in the process of recruiting and sending Filipino workers overseas. This is necessary considering the fact that what our country is exporting is its greatest asset - the human resources. However, there maybe some rules that are not significant and are just delaying the process.

For this reason, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) will review recruitment rules with the aim to simplify the process. This is in response to the complaints of recruiters that the government agency has “too many requirements.”

Jennifer Manalili, POEA Administrator, said, "We are looking at streamlining the requirements for the recruiters, who complain that there are too many requirements."

The review of POEA rules would also include review the standard contract used as basis of outbound overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).The current sample contract are criticized to be unconstitutional as it  defy the Labor Code and international laws.

The sample contract was created to meet the terms of Middle Eastern countries and complies with its traditions that forbid joining and forming labor unions.

Uni-Philippine Labor Council, a global union said that the POEA should make a "more formal policy statement…assuring us that the Philippine government will insist upon the right of Filipino overseas workers to form or join unions."

Roland Librojo of the Uni-PLC added, "And the Philippine government should be called to account for its anti-union labor migration policy."

The POEA aims to complete the review before the year ends. Manalili guarantees that the new sample contract would protect the welfare of OFWs all over the world.

The POEA head said, "There is an ongoing review of POEA rules and contracts dependent on these rules, both for land-based and sea-based [deployment]."

Manalili added that the review would try to match the rules for land-based and sea-based OFWs, and put them under one book.

She said, "Right now we have separate rules for land-base and sea-based workers; medyo magulo [it's a little messy]. Maybe we can revert to having one set of rules with separate chapters on land-based and sea-based [deployment]."