With the aim to make the qualifying process for Employment Permit System (EPS)-Korea faster, a computer-based testing facility for the required Korean language test is now available at the main building of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in Mandaluyong City.

The launching of the testing facility was led by officials of the POEA, Labor Department and Human Resources Department of Korea through its EPS Center in Manila.

The ribbon cutting was led by Administrator Cacdac and Director Jeong Eun Hee of the EPS Center in the Philippines. It was also attended by the Korean Ambassador Lee Hyuk, DOLE officials, business organizations in the Philippines and representatives from the Korean community.

The new facility can accommodate up to 40 examinees at a time and has a total area of 238 square meters. The construction of this new facility took Php4.5 million. It is a product of a service commitment agreement signed between HRD Korea and POEA in February 2012 and the implementing arrangement concluded in September last year.

According to the head of POEA, Hans Leo J. Cacdac, the new facility would replace the usual paper-based exam which had been held in the country for 8 times since 2005.

The CBT can only be used by former EPS workers who had finished their contracts in Korea and wish to work there again.

Cacdac said, “With the computer-based test, we are hoping that all qualified Filipino workers can efficiently re-enter and work in Korea thereby minimizing the number of Filipinos choosing to illegally stay and work in Korea than to return home and wait for 6 months before they can re-apply for the Employment Permit System.”

The Labor Secretary, Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz is pleased with this development and congratulated the POEA and HRD Korea for finally reaching an agreement with dispatch to embark on this mode to facilitate the re-entry of many OFWs to Korea.

Baldoz said, “This CBT venue was completed in time, as they say, ‘pairi-pairi’ (fast) Korean style, and the facilities are state-of-the-art.”