THE number of Filipino workers overstaying in South Korea has declined to 19 percent from 31 percent because of the government’s continuing program to undocumented Filipinos in Korea to return in exchange for financial and livelihood assistance.
The Department of Labor and Employment said even the Korean government commended the Philippines for its successful reintegration programs that have dramatically reduced the number of illegal Filipino workers in that country.
Welfare Officer Manuela Peña of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Korea said thousands of overstaying Filipinos in Korea voluntarily returned home this year in order to increase the country’s annual quota for foreign workers there under Korea’s Employment Permit System.
“South Korea’s annual quota for foreign workers under its EPS is decided through comprehensive consideration on the rate of illegal stay of workers, among other factors, including labor market trends, level of labor shortages, and economic condition,” Peña said.
“The Philippines was commended for its major achievement of maintaining a steady percentage decline of undocumented number of Filipino EPS workers from 2013 to July 2016, reducing it from 6,548 to 4,962, or from 31.7 percent down to 19.7 percent,” Peña said.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has directed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to initiate disciplinary action against overstaying OFWs covered by government-to-government arrangement with the POEA as the sending agency.
Peña said the commendation came from Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor Minister Jong-kil Park, in at Royal Hotel in Myeongdong, Seoul.
“With our country’s accomplishments, we have been called to present the Philippines’ policy and best practices in complementing the host government’s effort to promote the return support program for foreign workers,” Peña said.
She said that together with Administrative Staff Rene Mangune, they presented the paper on the Philippine Reintegration Program for Overseas Filipino Workers, enumerating among others the programs of the Department of Labor and Employment.
