Govt sets up special lanes for Taiwan-bound OFWs

Five government agencies have set up special windows to expedite the processing of documents and requirements for the visa of Taiwan-bound Filipino workers amid the rift between Manila and Taipei.

These government agencies are:
# Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),
# National Bureau of Investigation (NBI),
# Social Security System (SSS),
# Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth),
# National Statistics Office

In a press statement, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said he has ordered the five agencies to establish special lanes dedicated to the processing and authentication or issuance of documents. The directive was stated in a memorandum issued on Feb. 14.

This is in response to the announcement of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila that Taiwan-bound Filipinos would have to submit additional documents as a pre-requisite for the issuance of work visa.

Under the new guidelines, workers seeking deployment to Taiwan must submit DFA- and TECO-authenticated birth certificate and NBI clearance, as well as the original and photocopies of ID cards issued by the SSS, Philhealth and Comelec

The Philippine-Taiwan row resulted from the Philippines’ deportation of 14 Taiwanese nationals to China. The 14, along with 10 Chinese nationals, were arrested December last year in the Philippines upon the request of Beijing, which accused the 24 of engaging in a multi-million dollar criminal activity using the Internet and mobile gadgets.

Manila does not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a democratic self-governing island that has been separated from the Chinese mainland since 1949, but still claimed by China as part of its territory.

Ochoa said the creation of special lanes would help ease the impact of the new requirements imposed on Filipino workers.

“Our priority here is the welfare of our citizens who have already obtained employment in Taiwan, but are now having difficulty getting their visas to Taiwan because of the new requirements issued by TECO,” he said.

In a separate letter, Ochoa asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to fast track the issuance of identification cards.

Ochoa said the SSS has already opened courtesy lanes and started issuing documents certifying that the Taiwan-bound OFW is a member of SSS and has applied for the biometric identification card pending the production, supply and actual delivery of the SSS Biometric ID. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News