De Lima wants Senate probe on OFW ID
Sen. Leila de Lima (Photo from her Facebook page)
Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Wednesday called for a Senate investigation into the newly-launched identification card system for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), saying that this scheme would only be used as a “cash cow” for some corrupt officials.
De Lima has filed Senate Resolution no. 452 urging the appropriate Senate committees to inquire into the OFW ID, also known as the i-DOLE, which the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) launched last July 12 to replace the much-criticized Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC) or the “exit pass.”
“Our government should stop pulling the legs of our hapless OFWs by requiring them to obtain the new OFW ID because it not only duplicates but also is costlier than the OEC and may be used to siphon the OFWs’ hard-earned money into the pockets of some corrupt individuals,” she said.
READ: DOLE launches ID card system for OFWs
Despite the Labor Department’s vow that the identification cards would be issued to all bona fide OFWs for free, the senator noted that the implementation of the i-DOLE would be costlier than that of the OECs, which might affect its holders in the long run.
According to news reports, the said identification card will cost P701, P501 of which will be charged to defray the cost of plastic card and another PhP200 for the delivery, which, De Lima said, many claim as more expensive than the OEC which only costs P100 to PhP200.
De Lima also pointed out that some OFWs and their families are confused with the guidelines on the implementation of the ID system, which, the senator said, was done without a public consultation with recruitment agencies and OFW groups.
“Congress should ensure that the new OFW ID which seems to serve the same functions as that of the old OEC would not be used as another money-making scheme that was hastily hatched to benefit some government officials in cohorts with some quarters or private business groups,” she added. Winona Sadia, INQUIRER.net trainee/JE
