THE Department of Labor and Employment has expanded the compulsory insurance coverage of overseas Filipino workers to include re-hires and agency-hired workers.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said Department Order 228 mandates that the manning or recruitment agency should shoulder the insurance for the OFWs they deploy if the employer or the workers re-hired and direct hire will pay the insurance premium.

Whereas, this Order seeks to forthwith extend, expand and strengthen this indispensable mantle of protection to all OFWs during this current global health emergency crisis at no cost to the worker, and also to other migrant workers based abroad under a residency status granted by the host country if they may avail of such social insurance coverage…,” the DO read.

Under the DO, the OFW can pay the insurance premium and have this reimbursed at a later date.

Bello explained that only thirty-two percent (agency-hired workers) of the estimated 10-million OFWs have adequate social protection as provided under the provisions of Republic Act No. 10022 or The Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.

The effectiveness of the insurance policy covers the employment period of the OFW.

The order further provided that it would only be implemented while the COVID pandemic is still being implemented amid the public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the threats of other emerging infectious diseases as well as the period of full completion of the government’s national vaccination program.

“This order may be extended for a longer period by this Department as circumstances warrant,” the labor chief assured.

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Lee Ann P. Ducusin