Govt agencies ordered to have green lanes for faster OFW deployment transactions

MANILA, Philippines — Government agencies have been ordered to designate green lanes to hasten the processing of deployment requirements for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Malacañang said Thursday.

“Ang mga tanggapan at mga ahensya ng mga pamahalaan na may kinalaman sa pagproseso po ng deployment, allied services, ay dinrektang magtayo ng green lane para mapabilis po ang pagproseso ng mga papeles ng mga kababayan natin na magtratrabaho abroad,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing.

OFWs, may they be land-based or sea-based, are allowed to leave the country for work regardless of the quarantine measures in place since mid-March.

But Roque said this still excludes healthcare workers who are covered by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration-issued (POEA) deployment ban.

“Hindi po kasama dito yung mga health professionals na sakop pa rin ng deployment ban na inissue ng POEA,” he said.

Roque added that recruitment and placement agencies will be allowed to operate in areas under general and modified enhanced community quarantine.

POEA had temporarily suspended the deployment abroad of health workers so they can help the country fight the pandemic.

However, the deployment ban was revised, allowing nurses and other health care workers with existing contracts to return to their jobs abroad.

/MUF