The government will craft new rules for foreign nationals seeking jobs in the Philippines, due to the rising number of foreigners working in the country, Malacañang said Tuesday.
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Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte discussed the issue during the Cabinet meeting on Monday and instructed the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Professional Regulation Commission, Bureau of Immigration, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency to jointly craft a set of guidelines on the employment of foreign nationals in the Philippines.
“Through this JMC, foreign nationals shall first secure an alien employment permit, a working visa, and a tax identification number before they can be permitted to work in the country,” Panelo said.
The top foreign nationals working in the country are Chinese, Japanese and Koreans, mostly working in administrative support, offshore gaming operations and business process outsourcing.
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Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente linked the increase in the number of foreign workers in the country to the rising industries in the Philippines and online gaming.
He said such issues and challenges only appear now because this has never been a problem in the past.
He also said that previous regulations “did not have any restrictions” apart from the duration of a foreigner’s stay in the country, a system that was “prone to abuse.”
Panelo, on the other hand, said foreigners currently working in the Philippines will be subject to the new requirements.
“If they are working illegally then they will have to comply with our regulations. If they won’t comply, they will be subject to deportation,” Panelo added.
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