‘No exemption from mandatory insurance coverage for OFWs’

MANILA, Philippines – The government yesterday rejected calls to exempt some countries from the mandatory insurance coverage for Filipino migrant workers amid protests from foreign employers.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Jennifer Manalili said the government cannot grant exemption because the law mandates the insurance coverage for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“With the law already in effect, the POEA is under obligation to implement the provision on insurance coverage for agency-hired Filipino workers leaving the country for the first time under new contracts,” Manalili said.

Manalili noted some countries, including Hong Kong, do provide insurance coverage for Filipino workers but they do not cover all the risks required under the amended Migrant Workers Act.

Employers from Hong Kong and countries in the Middle East are demanding exemption from the mandatory insurance scheme, claiming that they are already providing insurance coverage for their Filipino employees.

Manalili said she recommended to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to convene a special committee to discuss the issues concerning the implementation of the new insurance scheme.

The law provides insurance coverage for departing OFWs that include a minimum of $15,000 for accidental death, $10,000 for natural death, $7,500 for permanent total disablement, $100 subsistence allowance benefit per month for a maximum of six months for a migrant worker involved in litigation proceedings in the receiving country, among other benefits.

A group of government-accredited insurance providers had launched the insurance package they are offering for OFWs in compliance with the newly enacted law.

The group gave assurance they would provide OFWs with the maximum insurance protection that the industry could offer and facilitate the issuance of insurance polices even for those residing outside Metro Manila. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)