The Department of Labor Employment (DOLE) welcomed Taiwan’s move to lift the ban for the entry of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) starting next week, a move that will provide job opportunities to some 40,000 Filipino job seekers.
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center announced on Monday that it would open its door to Filipino migrant workers starting February 15, 2022.
“We thank Taiwan for welcoming once more our kababayans in their various employment industries starting February 15. This is a valuable post-Valentine gift to our OFWs and their families,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.
Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) -Taipei Labor Attaché Cesar Chavez said this is the second phase of the Migration Project in which migrant workers, including Filipinos, will be allowed entry to Taiwan.
Chavez said migrant workers must strictly follow Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Center guidelines.
“Filipino workers should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before they enter Taiwan,” he said.
Employers should arrange a hotel to quarantine arriving migrant workers. After completing the 14-day quarantine, they should stay in the same hotel for seven days of self-health management before going to the workplace.
“Both workers and employers must strictly follow and abide with the Central Epidemic Command Center epidemic prevention measures, rules, and guidelines,” the labor official added.
Other epidemic measures should be fully observed, including PCR testing and one-person one-room isolation before entering the country.
Medical insurance is also needed in case of confirmed cases, and PCR testing is likewise immediately required after entry to Taiwan.
The command center reiterated that quarantine is an “important key to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic.”
Employers are urged to strictly follow and abide by the Ministry of Labor’s “Guidelines for Employers Hiring Migrant Workers.”
The Epidemic Center cautioned that if the employer fails to comply with any of the provisions and other relevant guidelines, that will be tantamount to the “Employment Service Law violation” and may result in revocation of their employment permit.
Bello also thanked Taiwan’s recognition of the OFWs’ contribution to their economic development.
“Over the past years, our OFWs’ excellence in various industries in Taiwan have been receiving commendations from their employers. We also laud Taiwan’s continuing review of its labor rules to protect migrant workers’ rights, including the Filipinos,” Bello added.
