Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) now have an additional fee to pay before they will be given an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), -- the Php600 membership fee for Pag-IBIG fund. The new memorandum from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) now requires all OFWs to be a member of Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) or Pag-IBIG Fund. The Php600 would be equivalent to six months of contribution.

According to the POEA’s Memorandum Circular 06, the new rule took into effect last August 1. A group of migrant workers though are not in favor of this new rule. Migrante-Middle East said in a statement that even if they recognize the good intention of the government’s housing program, they think the membership should not have been made mandatory but instead optional. The group thinks that the new charges will just add a burden to OFWs.

The regional coordinator of Migrante, John Leonard Monterona said, “Before it is only optional, not mandatory, thus giving OFWs and their dependents the leeway to choose if it is better, more appropriate, and practical to get a housing loan from Pag-IBIG, instead of just building their own house from their earnings."

Monterona said that this compulsory membership is just like a hold up because all OFWs (land based and sea based ) have no choice but to pay for it or they would not be issued OEC’s.

He explained,  “In order to get an OEC, an OFW must pay P1,164 for OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) membership, P900 for Philhealth, the newly imposed P600 for Pag-IBIG, and the P100 processing fee for a total of P2,764. This is on top of other fees and charges imposed by the government and the placement fee collected by recruitment agency."

Migrante also informed that even if the implementation officially started on August 1, they have received complaints from OFWs who were asked to pay for the housing loan program even before the implementation date.

Monterona said, “Fellow OFWs have told us that upon getting an OEC at the POEA main building, they were asked to pay P600 for Pag-IBIG membership – it was on the first week of July."

The migrant workers group is also afraid that since the government is looking for ways to augment its budget, more charges will be imposed to OFWs. in the future. They said that the government always targets OFWs for new fees but are slow when it comes to providing quality programs and services for them and their families.