Foreign nationals (FN) employed in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in Metro Manila now have fewer reasons not to apply for work permits after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) launched its first one-stop for them.
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the one-stop shop will ensure FNs will be able to get all the necessary tax identification number (TIN), visa, and work permit for them to continue their employment in the country.
He said it will have personnel from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Bureau of Immigration (BI) and DOLE.
“The one stop shop is intended to ensure that foreign workers will obtain alien employment permit (AEP) before they can work here in the Philippines and that they will also pay their taxes,” Bello told BusinessMirror in a SMS.
Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) director Dominique R. Tutay said the initiative will also help DOLE accommodate the surge in the increasing number of AEP applicants.
“While we still have logistical challenge in the surge of applications, DOLE and its Regional Offices are doing their best to serve our clients promptly,” Tutay said.
FNs are required to obtain an AEP from DOLE if they will work in the country for more than six months.
The new one-stop center is located at the DOLE-National Capital Region office in Manila.
DOLE opted to place the first of the said facility in NCR since it has the largest concentration of POGO workers.
Data from DOLE showed NCR has the biggest number of AEP holders. Of the over 51,000 AEP holders nationwide, around 41,000 are from the region.
Bello said they may put up additional one-stop shops in other regions with large number of POGO activities like Calabarzon and Central Luzon.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes