The rapid increase of migration of Filipino professionals causes many sectors to suffer “brain drain.” For this reason, Filipino professionals seeking work abroad are required to file their resignation six months before their departure.

"The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has decided that critical skills for which shortages have been identified will now be the subject of notice of their respective companies. In other words if you are leaving, you should file a notice six months before so that your employer would make an adjustment," said Sto. Tomas during the "Manpower Summit" held at the Manila Hotel.

The law requires the workers to file their resignation one month before they leave their post so they can turn over the duty. According to Sto. Tomas, the POEA has extended it to six months so the operation of the local business would not be put at risk.

To determine the action that they should take, she instructed the POEA to identify the critical skills.

"We've asked them (POEA) to use the new policy pilots, aviation mechanics and nurses just to get the sense on whether there is shortage or surplus," she added.

While on the other hand, POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz said that Filipino workers should abide by the new requirement, if not they cannot go abroad to work, it is part of the requirement they have to submit in the processing of their documents.

“They (Filipino workers going abroad) would have to comply with the new requirement or else they cannot leave the country even if they wanted to," she said.

Sto. Tomas also agree with the new policy, because it would be of great help to hospitals and airline companies to look for a new employee as replacement.

On the other hand, representative from the local aviation industry asked a five-year suspension on the recruitment and deployment of Filipino pilots. The mass departure of pilots threatens to paralyze the industry.

However, Sto. Tomas said that the government does not agree to ban the deployment, not only because it would mean involuntary servitude, but as well as a violation of right to travel and worst would cause illegal deployment.