New Procedure in the Processing of Balik-Manggagawa Exit Clearance

Further to POEA Advisory No. 30, Series  of 2011,  on the revised  procedures in the processing  of Balik-manggagawa  (BM) or returning workers, it is hereby  clarified that the existing one-day processing  of BM documents  is still in place.  The new two-phase procedure merely provides options to returning workers to manage their time better instead of waiting for hours for the release of their documents'

The long wait is due to the big volume of BM applicants queuing at the Balik-Manggagawa Processing Center, averaging 1500-1600 daily on regular days and 2500-3000 on peak seasons, particularly during the Christmas holidays and school graduations' “Balik-manggagawa workers may secure their Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC)/E-receipts which serve as travel exit clearance from the following

POEA BM processing centers:

• ·         POEA Main Office in Mandaluyong  City
• ·         POEA Regional Centers in Luzon  (San Fernando City), Visayas  (Cebu  City) and Mindanao  (Davao City)
• ·         POEA  Regional Extension  Units/Satellite Offices located in the Cities  of Tuguegarao  and Baguio,  Clark, Pampanga,  citres  of calamba,  Laguna,  Legazpi, Iloilo, Bacolod, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Cagayan  de Oro, Butuan  and Tawi-Tawi.
• ·         Labor Assistance Centers (LACs) at international airports in Manila, Cebu, and Mindanao. (BM OEC issuance at the LAC is limited to vacationing workers whose home leave does not exceed five (5) days, and with confirmed airline bookings on the date of request for OEC issuance.  OECs issued at the LAC are valid only on the date of issuance.
• ·         Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) in major host countries and cities of Filipino labor.

The complete addresses of the POEA Offices nationwide and the POLOs are found at the POEA website www.poea-e1py.Bh. or call 722-7144/722-Lt55 for such information.

Another available option at the POEA Main Office is the door-to-door delivery wherein the worker's OEC/E-receipt is delivered to his home address through courier service.

Further, all returning workers are strongly advised to secure their exit clearance from the POEA offices nearest to their locations ahead of their flight schedules, and not on the actual date of their departure, to avoid unnecessary inconvenience.

Source: POEA