Announcements View Archive
UAE healthcare firm reveals major push into Saudi Arabia
Date Posted: 10/9/2017
NMC Health, the UAE-based healthcare operator, has announced that it has received all regulatory approvals for new medical facilities in Saudi Arabia as part of a major expansion into the Gulf kingdom. The Chronic Care Specialty Medical Centre (CCSMC) in Jeddah is believed to be one of the first greenfield medical facilities in Saudi Arabia... Read More
Filipinos in UAE to benefit from new migrant workers law
Date Posted: 09/28/2017
MANILA – Tens of thousands of Filipinos will benefit under a new law on migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates, the department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. These include payment of wages within 10 days from the due date, 12 hours of rest per per day including 8 consecutive hours of rest, 1 paid... Read More
Qatar enacts law to protect foreign domestic workers
Date Posted: 08/30/2017
DOHA – Qatar’s ruler has introduced a law giving broad protection to tens of thousands of foreigners working as maids, cooks, cleaners and nannies, addressing some concerns long highlighted by human rights groups. The new rules on foreign domestic staff mandate a maximum of 10 hours per working day with breaks for prayer, rest and... Read More
DFA Opens Thousands of Appointment Slots for Passport Application and Renewal
Date Posted: 08/25/2017
24 August 2017 — Thousands of appointment slots are now available to those who wish to apply for and renew their passports, after the Department of Foreign Affairs implemented sweeping reforms. Assistant Secretary Frank Cimafranca of the Office of Consular Affairs said an additional 94,350 slots were opened from July to August, while thousands more... Read More
OFW remittances up 5.5% to $2.3B in May
Date Posted: 07/18/2017
Ahead of the opening of classes, cash sent home by Filipinos abroad through banks in May grew 5.5 percent year-on-year to $2.31 billion, keeping monthly remittances above the $2-billion level for the 16th straight month. Cash remittances last May increased from $2.19 billion a year ago and exceeded the $2.08 billion in April, the latest... Read More
ID for OFWs launched today
Date Posted: 07/12/2017
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is launching today the identification card for millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the iDOLE, or the DOLE’s identification card for OFWs, is set to be launched in a simple ceremony in Malacañang this morning. The DOLE initially prepared... Read More
DOLE scraps OEC, replaces it with OFW ID
Date Posted: 07/7/2017
By the end of July, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will no longer need to secure an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) before their deployment, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III. Instead, Filipino migrant workers will be given an OFW ID for free, Bello said in an interview by Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson,... Read More
PHL lifts deployment suspension, allows new hires to go to Qatar
Date Posted: 06/15/2017
Even newly hired Filipino workers can now be deployed to Qatar following the total lifting of the deployment moratorium, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced on Thursday. In a statement, Bello said the decision came after consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and upon the recommendation of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). “This... Read More
Gulf countries cut ties with Qatar
Date Posted: 06/5/2017
Citing the need to “protect national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism,” Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, which is alleged to have been creating instability in the region. UAE’s official news agency WAM, tweeted that the UAE government has asked Qatar’s diplomatic mission to... Read More
Direct hiring of OFWs allowed again as DOLE lifts suspension
Date Posted: 05/31/2017
MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment has lifted the suspension on the processing of directly hired overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as it ended its investigation on allegedly anomalous activities at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he decided to lift the suspension as the investigation has identified... Read More