Foreign-worker crackdown backed by chambers

Gillian M. Cortez | BusinessWorld | July 16, 2019

Foreign business chambers said they support the government’s proposed controls on the entry of foreign workers, saying that Chinese investors in the online gaming industry have provided limited employment opportunities to Filipino workers.

In a text message to BusinessWorld, American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Advisor John Forbes said that the recent Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 001 series of 2019, issued by various government agencies, will help ensure more jobs for locals, especially in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) industry.

“These controls on foreign workers are needed in light of the influx of young Chinese working in online gambling. We thought PRC (People’s Republic of China) investors were coming to employ Filipinos but so far many of them have only given jobs to Chinese and not to Filipinos,” Mr. Forbes said.

On July 11, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) signed the JMC together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Finance (DoF), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Justice (DoJ), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). The JMC outlines and harmonizes procedures governing on the issuance of work permits to foreign nationals.

Also during the same period, DoLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) reported that it has identified more than 7,000 Chinese nationals working in POGOs who will be deported for not securing work permits, particularly the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) which is only issued by the DoLE.

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) President Nabil Francis said that the JMC will lead to the better enforcement of rules governing the issuance of work permits and strengthen the monitoring of foreign workers entering the country.

“This is a step in the right direction towards the effective implementation of existing legislation and exploring further avenues for improvement. We are glad to see the government agencies involved closely cooperating on this,” Mr. Francis said in an e-mail to BusinessWorld.

The JMC requires all foreigners seeking work to have a Tax Identification Number (TIN) before they obtain a permit to work in the Philippines. NICA is also tasked with issuing a “no deregatory information” finding before foreign nationals apply for a work visa.

Source: https://www.bworldonline.com/foreign-worker-crackdown-backed-by-chambers/