Many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) return to the Philippines for vacation during the Christmas season. As preparation for the influx of vacationing OFWs this year, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) created a special Task Force Balik-Manggagawa.

The special task force aims to make the holiday vacation of OFWs more enjoyable and hassle free. And to help the POEA accomplish this aim, the POEA chief, Carlos Cao Jr. advises vacationing OFWs to secure their overseas employment certificate (OEC) or travel exit clearance early.

Cao said that OFWs should take care of their OEC’s as soon as they arrive in the Philippines. Apparently, many OFWs rush to the POEA office to get exit clearances after Christmas or New Year resulting to large crowds and long lines.

The POEA chief also informed OFWs that they can obtain exit clearances even before going to the Philippines by applying for it in the nearest Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in their host country.

Aside from the POEA main office in Ortigas, Mandaluyong, OEC’s can also be obtained in different POEA regional offices. There are POEA regional offices in Baguio City,  Tuguegarao City, La Union, Pampanga, Calamba Laguna, Tacloban Leyte; Iloilo and Bacolod City, Cebu City,  Cagayan de Oro City, Zamboanga City and Davao City.

For more convenience, OFWs can also opt to apply for their OEC online and have it delivered. The OEC courier system is available online at

http://www.citizenservices.com.ph/poea.

To avoid confusion, the POEA also defined who are the OFWs that are considered as balik-maggagawa. They are the following:

1. a worker who is on vacation or on leave from employment under a valid and existing employment contract and who is returning to the same employer regardless of any change in jobsite, to finish the remaining unexpired portion of the contract;
2. a worker who was rehired by the same employer after finishing his/her contract and who is returning to the same employer,regardless of a change in jobsite; and
3. a returning worker whose employment contract was not processed with the POEA but was subsequently verified and registered with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the jobsite and who is returning to the same employer either as a worker-on-leave or rehire.