The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has advised all OFWs who intend to go on vacation in the Philippines to register online for their Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) application.

The Balik Manggagawa (BM) Online, which was launched by the POEA last October 2014, aims to speed up the issuance of OECs to vacationing OFWs who will return to work with their respective foreign employers under a valid employment contract. Since its launching last year, the BM Online Processing System has already served and benefitted 153,152 vacationing workers.

The BM Online Processing System is a web-based facility that enables vacationing OFWs, with existing record in the POEA database, to apply online for OECs and print their copies at the comfort of their homes or workplaces, and need not go to POLO offices at the various Philippine embassies and consulates abroad or POEA offices in the Philippines.

However, for OFWs with no record in the POEA database, they would be required to register at BM Online and go through a one-time appointment system to secure their OECs, either at the nearest POLO offices or at POEA Central Office or various Regional, satellite and local processing offices in the Philippines. After having gone through the appointment system, OFWs can go directly and apply online for OECs the next time around for their next scheduled vacation without undergoing another appointment procedure.

OECs are being required to be presented by OFWs only upon departure from the Philippines after their short vacation in the Philippines. OECs serve as “exit clearance” at the Philippine airports to help ensure that OFWs leaving the country have been duly processed and documented by the POEA. OFWs are exempted from paying the travel tax and airport terminal fee through the OECs. Contrary to some impression, it is not true that OFWs are required to present their OECs when entering the Philippines. Thus, OFWs whose worksites are far from the POLO offices in KSA or those who have no sufficient time to book for appointment prior to their departure may well be advised to set their appointment online and choose their preferred POEA processing site in the Philippines.

Aside from POEA-Ortigas office, the POEA has three (3) Regional Centers which are located in La Union for Luzon, Cebu City for Visayas, and Davao City for Mindanao. It has Regional Extension Units in Baguio, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga City. POEA satellite offices are also located in Tuguegarao City, SM City Pampanga, Calamba, Laguna, Legazpi, Bacolod, Tacloban, Koronadal City, Butuan City and Tawi-Tawi. The POEA has also set up Field Offices in Trinoma, Duty Free, SM Manila, among others.

OFWs in KSA, who are planning to go on vacation, are therefore advised to get acquainted with the BM (OEC) Online Processing System ahead of time, and if possible, enroll for their BM Online Account. Since the beginning of this year, the various POLO offices in KSA have been distributing info kits and flyers on BM Online to walk-in OEC applicants as well as during the various consular outreach missions in KSA.

To sign up for BM Online Processing System, go to www.bmonline.ph or to POEA official webpage www.poea.gov.ph and click BM Online. An instructional video for BM Online can also be found in the POEA website https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Jd4W6YYzo&feature=youtu.be for easy reference and guide. For New Users, it is important however that they must be ready with their personal email address and copies of their last issued OEC and passport number.