Tax-pay exemption included in DMW app

By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

AquICk response (qR) code for automatic exemption from travel tax and payment of airport terminal fee is among the proposed features of the mobile app being rolled out by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

DMW Secretary Maria Susan

V. Ople said they are now in talks with the airline firms and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority for the said features.

“On the basis of the qR code, the travel tax and terminal fee can be eliminated; that is [the feature] we expect to include in the phase 2,” Ople said during a news briefing last Wednesday.

The DMW chief said they are also considering the proposal of the President to include a geo-tagging feature in the mobile app to help locate overseas Filipino workers (OFW) during a crisis.

“So for example there will be earthquakes and climate change events, we will be able to locate them,” Ople said.

DMW undersecretary Patricia M. Caunan noted they will gradually add features to their mobile app to ensure its “OFW Pass” will function properly.

The said pass will serve as the free exit clearance for OFWs, which certifies the regularity of their recruitment and documentation.

“Later on, we can add features. We just want to make sure that the primary function, which is the ‘OFW Pass,’ is very stable,” Caunan said.

The DMW mobile app will be integrated to the eGov PH Super App, which was launched by the Department of Information and Communication Technology last month, once it becomes available.

The government will forgo P200-million worth of revenue by making the “OFW Pass” and the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) free for Filipinos seeking to work overseas. (See https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/07/13/ government-to-forgo-₧200mby-cutting-fees-charged-tomigrant-workers/)