More than 335,000 digital travel passes have already been issued to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Department of Migrant Workers said as it continues its digitalization efforts from the long-standing overseas employment certificates.
DMW Undersecretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay said that, to date, a total of 335,831 passes have been generated through the eGov PH application since its rollout on 15 September.
However, Tutay reported glitches encountered by OFWs using the eTravel pass, with some airlines still asking for paper copies. She said the DMW will issue an advisory affirming its full implementation to avoid inconsistencies.
Tutay called on airlines to honor the digital pass.
“We are appealing to our colleagues in the airline industry that our fellow OFWs be allowed to simply show their travel pass on the eGov app,” she said.
“We have already coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration, and there are no issues on their end; what we are fixing now is with the airlines.”
The overseas employment certificate has long been a mandatory document for OFWs leaving the country for employment abroad.
The digitalization effort does not scrap documentation requirements for workers but streamlines the process, allowing them to carry a single document.
To acquire a digital travel pass, OFWs must download the eGovPH application, register, and access the DMW Balik Manggagawa Service, which will link their worker information from the agency.