POEA rolls out online services for recruitment and manning agencies

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment, introduced to the public two online systems that were intended to further improve its services to licensed recruitment and manning agencies.

Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the development ePayment and Recruitment Authority Issuance systems is consistent with the “Go online, don’t fall in line” slogan of the POEA.

Cacdac said the streamlining of POEA services through automation of processes was initiated by Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz when she was administrator of the POEA. The two systems, which were also intended to reduce face to face transactions with recruitment agency representatives and foot traffic at the POEA offices, in effect hastens the deployment of OFWs.

The Administrator urges all licensed recruitment agencies to use the online systems which were envisioned to promote a culture of efficiency, accountability and transparency.

“Recruitment agencies were complaining of the slow processing of documents at the POEA. With these systems, all is recorded so that we can pinpoint where the delay was and what caused the delay,” Cacdac said.

Cacdac said that through the ePayment System, placement agencies can pay online the POEA processing fee and OWWA membership fee of their hired workers.

The ePayment System is a component of the electronic Contract Submission System which enables the agencies to submit online their request for processing (RFP) of contracts of their hired workers. Once the RFP is approved, an agency can pay the fees through POEA accredited bank conduits and print the overseas employment certificate (OEC) of the worker.

Cacdac, however, clarified that the contract submission and electronic payment system is applicable only to processing of contracts of skilled and professional workers. It does not include contracts of household service workers which require thorough scrutiny and evaluation of documents.

Cacdac said the POEA the Recruitment Authority Issuance System enables recruitment agencies to apply for the approval and issuance of special recruitment authority (SRA) and letter of acknowledgement. The system allows recruitment agencies to upload documentary requirements and view status of their application.

The POEA issues the SRA to licensed recruitment and manning agencies who want to conduct recruitment activities of any form outside of the business address stated in their license or branch offices. The Letter of Acknowledgement allows foreign employers or their representatives to conduct recruitment activities inside or outside the premises of the agency. (POEA)