MANILA – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has given all Philippine Recruitment Agencies (PRAs) and Licensed Manning Agencies (LMAs) until March 31, 2021 to submit monitoring reports in the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Welfare Monitoring System (OWMS).
In an advisory dated Feb. 26 signed by Administrator Bernard Olalia released on Saturday, recruitment and manning agencies were ordered to furnish a copy of reports on the status and condition of deployed OFWs who are onsite and seafarers abroad.
“In view of the foregoing, all PRAs and LMAs are hereby advised to create and/or update not later than 31 March 2021, the welfare records in the OMWS of all deployed OFWs and seafarers who are still onsite or abroad,” the POEA said.
At the same time, the agency warned those who will not comply will face appropriate penalties.
“Failure to submit the required reports shall warrant the imposition by the Administration of such sanctions as it may deem appropriate,” it said.
POEA Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 9, Series of 2019, provides that the OWMS is the tool to be used by the PRAs and LMAs in submitting reports on the status and condition of OFWs.
It also provides that an initial report on the status and conditions of newly deployed OFWS onsite and seafarers onboard shall be done within three months after deployment. Updates of their status and condition should be submitted every quarter thereafter. However, significant and critical incidents involving deployed Filipino workers should be reported to the POEA within five days from the occurrence thereof.
The POEA added that monitoring the status and condition of deployed Filipino workers complies with the Revised POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Land-based Overseas Filipino Workers of 2016 and 2016 Revised POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Seafarers and MC No. 12 Series of 2018.
