Vacationing OFWs from HK decry lack of OECs

Filipino workers in Hong Kong expressed outrage on Tuesday over what they considered as the Philippine Consulate General’s “irresponsible" suspension of the issuance of overseas employment certificate (OEC), a document they have to present at the airport to get travel tax and terminal fee exemption. The Consulate General said it could no longer issue OECs because they ran out of supply of the document and official receipts. The OFWs, who are coming home in time for the Holy Week and summer vacation, said they were advised to just get the OEC in the Philippines. “Is it really a mere coincidence that returning OFWs will now be forced to pay more for a document that should be, in the first place, given for free?" asked Dolores Balladares, chairperson of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK). A vacationing OFW in Hong Kong pays HKD 32 (PhP 192) for a OEC issued in Hong Kong. The same document costs P1,000 in the Philippines. "Such an irresponsible and inconsiderate action shall result in OFWs shelling out more money for the OEC, not to mention the extra costs and inconvenience for those who live far from POEA offices," Balladares pointed out. "The government stands to gain even more especially that this is a period when many OFWs take their vacation," she said. Balladares raised suspicion that the reason for the suspension of issuance of OEC in Hong Kong could just be an excuse to squeeze more money from OFWs. Balladares said she checked with the Consulate General’s office that a request for blank OECs had been made when half of its supply had been used up, but the replenishment has yet to be delivered. “What kind of a government is this that such a simple service to OFWs becomes even more of a burden to us?" she said. Balladares said OFWs from Hong Kong and Macau have long been asking for the scrapping of the OEC that they consider as a “useless piece of paper that costs like gold." "If the purpose of the OEC is to provide us with a document that proves our employment overseas to make us eligible for exemption from the travel tax and airport fee, our contracts, working visas and even our passports should be enough to do the job," Balladares argued. - GMANews.TV