AS the country allows the entry of foreign labor even in the face of the pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) have recently signed an agreement allowing the free exchange of foreign national data to monitor their economic activities in the Philippines.
With the exchange of data between the two agencies, the DOLE said the government will further strengthen its monitoring of the economic activities of foreign nationals, including retirees.
“This data-sharing agreement will facilitate the exchange of information between DOLE and the PRA for better coordination, rendering of services and monitoring of foreign nationals within our purview,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said.
Under the agreement, the DOLE and the PRA can now verify the employment information of their Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) holders or those foreign nationals who chose to retire in the Philippines, through the labor department’s Alien Employment Permit (AEP) database.
The labor department issues an AEP to authorize a foreign national to work in the Philippines.
In the same statement, PRA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Bienvenido K. Chy said, “the pressing challenges of the pandemic impel us to forge/solidarity and cooperation in promoting and monitoring the employment activities of foreign nationals in our country.”
Under the agreement, the exchange of employment information and/or data will be done quarterly via electronic mail or other forms of data transmission agreed upon by both parties.