Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session
House Bill No. 10821
Introduced by Representative Ron P. Salo
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Section 18, Article II of the 1987 Constitution emphasizes the critical role of labor
in socio-economic development, mandating the State to protect workers' rights and
promote their welfare. This constitutional directive extends to all Filipino workers,
including those seeking opportunities abroad as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
Driven by the pursuit of better economic prospects, millions of Filipinos seek
employment abroad as OFWs. However, this pursuit often comes with significant
challenges,
including
cultural
differences,
language
barriers,
unfamiliar
working
conditions, and isolation from family and support networks. Moreover, OFWs frequently
face risks such as exploitation, abuse, and discrimination, especially in sectors with
minimal regulation. Navigating complex immigration and labor laws, coupled with the
uncertainty of employment contracts and the lack of access to legal recourse in foreign
countries, further exacerbates the difficulties OFWs encounter while working abroad.
This bill aims to empower Filipinos who are seeking employment abroad to be fully
prepared and equipped with the necessary competence, knowledge, physical fitness,
and mental preparedness and stability to undertake and sustain employment in a
foreign country. The OFW Registry bill introduces a scorecard system that aims to
assess OFWs’ competence and readiness for overseas employment. It will specifically
cover financial literacy, psychological and mental health, physical fitness, and other
relevant factors.
To enhance the protection and welfare of OFWs, the bill stipulates that
recruitment will be limited to those registered in the OFW Registry, ensuring that only
those who are fully prepared and competent are deployed. Additionally, all valid job
orders will be posted in the registry, providing OFWs with assurance regarding the
authenticity of job offers. This system will eliminate the need for recruitment agencies to
search in far-flung areas, thereby ending the deployment of unprepared OFWs and
significantly reducing the risks associated with overseas employment.
Moreover, the bill aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the overseas
employment process by facilitating skills-matching and providing stringent oversight of
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August 27, 2024
2:12 pm


recruitment and manning agencies. Verified job orders or crew orders of licensed
recruitment and manning agencies, respectively, shall be posted in the OFW Registry to
ensure that qualified applicants are immediately informed of the legitimate job
opportunity abroad. This process will eliminate illegal recruitment activities and protect
OFWs from exploitation and abuse.
The enactment of this legislative measure will significantly improve the overseas
employment process for Filipinos, providing them with the preparation, protection, and
support they need to succeed in their journey abroad. It represents a comprehensive
approach in addressing the multifaceted challenges of overseas employment and
underscores the government's commitment in safeguarding the welfare and interests of
our migrant workers.
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
RON P. SALO
KABAYAN Party List
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session
House Bill No. 10821
Introduced by Representative Ron P. Salo
AN ACT CREATING THE PHILIPPINE REGISTRY OF OVERSEAS FILIPINO
WORKERS (OFWs)
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as “The OFW Registry Act”.
SEC. 2. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act:
(a) Data Sharing – refers to the disclosure or transfer to a third party of personal
data under the control or custody of a personal information controller (PIC) or
personal information processor (PIP).
(b) Data Sharing Agreement – refers to a contract, joint issuance, or similar
document that contains the terms and conditions of a data sharing agreement
between two or more parties.
(c) Financial Literacy – refers to the ability to understand and effectively use various
financial
skills,
including
personal
financial
management,
budgeting,
and
investing.
(d) First-time OFW – refer to a Filipino who is seeking employment abroad for the
first time.
(e) Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) – refers to a Filipino who is to be engaged, or
has been engaged in remunerated activity in a country of which he or she is not
an immigrant, citizen, or permanent resident or is not awaiting naturalization,
recognition, or admission, whether land-based or sea-based regardless of status,
excluding a Filipino engaged under a government-recognized exchange visitor
program for cultural and educational purposes. For purposes of this provision, a
person to be engaged or is engaged in remunerated activity covers a person,
whether land-based or sea-based, who has been contracted for overseas
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employment and is already at the point of hire ready for deployment. The term
“OFW” is synonymous to “Migrant Worker”.
(f) OFW Registry – refers to a comprehensive database maintained by the
government that records and tracks information on all registered OFWs, both
land-based
and
sea-based,
including
their
employment
details,
personal
information, educational background, training, and other relevant data necessary
to enhance government protection.
(g) OFW Scorecard – refers to a tool used to evaluate and monitor the readiness
and suitability of an individual for overseas employment. The scorecard includes
various metrics and indicators and other relevant criteria that determine the
overall competency and work readiness of an OFW.
(h) Physical Examination – A medical evaluation conducted by licensed healthcare
professionals to assess the overall physical health and fitness of an individual for
overseas employment. This examination ensures that OFWs are physically
capable of performing their duties and responsibilities in a foreign country.
(i) Psychological Assessment – A standardized evaluation conducted by licensed
professionals to assess the mental health, emotional stability, and psychological
readiness of an individual for overseas employment. This assessment aims to
ensure that OFWs are mentally and emotionally prepared for the challenges of
working abroad.
(j) Returning OFWs (or balik-manggagawa) – refers to an overseas Filipino worker
who has served or is serving his/her employment contract and is returning to the
same employer in the same jobsite or returning to the same employer in a new
job site and who has an existing record in the DMW database of deployed
workers.
(k) Work Readiness – The state of being fully prepared and equipped with the
necessary competence, knowledge, physical fitness, psychological stability and
mental health to undertake employment in a foreign country.
SEC. 3. Objectives – The objectives of this Act are as follows:
(a) To empower Filipinos who are seeking employment abroad to be fully prepared
and
equipped
with
the
necessary
skills,
knowledge,
physical
fitness,
psychological stability and mental health to undertake and sustain employment in
a foreign country;
(b) To facilitate the matching of skills or competencies and qualifications of all
Filipinos seeking employment abroad with available job opportunities;
(c) To eliminate illegal recruitment activities and protect potential overseas workers
from exploitation, abuse and fraud;
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(d) To effectively monitor Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to ensure their welfare
and protection while working abroad; and
(e) To enable the DMW and other agencies of the government to effectively and
efficiently provide appropriate interventions to enhance the competencies or skills
and work readiness of OFWs and all those intending to work abroad.
SEC. 4. Establishment of the OFW Registry. – The DMW shall establish the
OFW Registry, which shall be made accessible to all OFWs, as well as those intending
to work abroad.
This
registry
shall
include
a
comprehensive
scorecard
to
assess
the
competencies and work readiness of applicants for overseas employment. The DMW
shall develop the scorecard that will measure various aspects, including qualifications,
competencies or skills, financial literacy, psychological stability, mental health, and
physical fitness.
For easier access, the DMW may segregate the OFWs based on sector, whether
land-based or sea-based, gender, country of destination, nature of work, nature of OFW
whether first-time or returning OFWs (balik manggagawa), and other reasonable
criteria.
SEC. 5. Contents of the Registry. – All OFWs shall provide the following details
or information to the registry, when applicable:
(a) Full name;
(b) Date of birth;
(c) Address;
(d) Contact details;
(e) National
ID
number,
including
Overseas
Workers
Welfare
Administration
(OWWA), Social Security System (SSS), Bureau of Internal Revenue Tax
Identification Number (BIR TIN), PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG MID numbers;
(f) Educational attainment;
(g) Qualifications, relevant trainings or seminars attended, if any;
(h) Transcripts/diplomas, if any;
(i) Work history;
(j) Psychological Assessment Results;
(k) Physical Examination Results;
(l) Financial Literacy Assessment Results; and
(m)And other pertinent information deemed necessary by the DMW and other
relevant government agencies, such as and Bureau of Immigration.
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SEC. 6. Mandatory Registration. – All OFWs, including returning OFWs and
those who intend to work abroad, must register with the OFW Registry.
Only those registered and belong to the OFW Green List shall be allowed to work
abroad.
The DMW shall provide the mechanism for easy registration and validation of
information provided by the registrant, including uploading of pertinent documents.
SEC. 7. Minimum Period from Registration. – For first-time OFWs, a minimum
of ninety (90) days from registration shall be required in order to be eligible for
deployment.
For other types of OFWs, the DMW shall determine the length of time from
registration – from zero (0) to ninety (90) days – before the OFW may be legally
deployed.
SEC. 8. OFW Green List. – In addition to the required minimum period, the
DMW shall determine who are eligible for deployment based on the scorecard it has
developed, ensuring that only individuals who meet the established criteria and
demonstrate work readiness through the scorecard evaluation will be allowed to join the
pool of Filipinos eligible for deployment abroad.
All those eligible for deployment abroad shall be considered part of DMW’s OFW
Green List.
SEC. 9. Recruitment within the OFW Registry. – Unless exempted by the
DMW, recruitment of OFWs – whether land-based or sea-based – shall only be within
the OFW Registry. In this regard, all verified job orders or crew orders shall be
immediately posted by the DMW in the OFW Registry, which shall be made accessible
to all qualified pool of applicants.
Sec. 10. Illegal Recruitment. – Any recruitment activities outside the OFW
Registry, or those exempted by DMW, shall be considered illegal recruitment.
SEC. 11. Protection of Privacy and Protection Against Unlawful Disclosure
of Information. – The DMW, in coordination with the DICT, shall ensure the integrity
and privacy of the OFWs, as well as those intending to work abroad, who are in the
OFW Registry.
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No person may disclose, collect, record, convey, disseminate, publish, or use any
information pertaining to registered individuals with the OFW Registry, give access
thereto or give copies thereof to third parties or entities, except when the registered
person has given his or her consent, specific to the purpose prior to the processing.
Information disclosed shall not be used except for the specific purpose for which
it was authorized and shall not be divulged by any person to any third party other than
the person so authorized.
The DMW must ensure that information in the OFW Registry is used only in
accordance with its intended purpose as set forth in this Act.
Any information obtained as a result of unlawful disclosure under this Act shall be
inadmissible in any judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative proceedings.
SEC. 12. Data Sharing Involving Government Agencies. – Data sharing
agreements
involving
the
information contained in the OFW Registry between
government agencies must strictly adhere to the data privacy principles delineated in
Republic Act No. 10173, also known as the “Data Privacy Act of 2012,” along with its
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), and all issuances by the National Privacy
Commission (NPC).
SEC. 13. Regular Updating of the Registry. – OFWs are required to regularly
update their information in the registry. All updates shall be subject to validation by the
DMW to ensure the accuracy of the data and the current status of the OFWs.
SEC. 14. Blacklisting. – The DMW may blacklist OFWs or those intending to
work abroad for violation of their overseas contract, or on other legal grounds.
SEC. 15. Role of Government Agencies. – The DMW shall be the lead agency
responsible for implementing this Act. Accordingly, the DMW shall:
(a) Develop and maintain the system infrastructure for the OFW registry;
(b) Develop the scorecard system that will assess the competencies or skills and
work readiness of the OFWs or those intending to work abroad;
(c) Implement a systematic approach for the continuous and regular updating of the
registry;
(d) Validate the information provided by the OFWs or those intending to work
abroad;
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(e) Adequately inform upon registration for the OFW Registry on how their data will
be used or processed, and how they can access their registered information and
record history;
(f) Post verified job orders or crew orders in the OFW Registry which shall be made
accessible to all qualified candidates;
(g) Transmit the information of interested qualified applicants to the concerned
recruitment agency or manning agency;
(h) Enforce blacklisting as provided in the immediately preceding section;
(i) Grant access to specific individuals or groups on specific data in the OFW
Registry as may be necessary in the performance of their mandates or functions;
and
(j) Undertake appropriate measures to ensure that the objectives of this Act are
realized.
The DICT shall provide technical assistance to the DMW in developing and
operating the OFW Registry.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI), Overseas Workers Welfare Affairs (OWWA), and
the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shall also provide technical support and
assistance to the DMW as may be necessary.
SEC. 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DMW, in coordination
with the DICT, BI, OWWA, and DFA, and upon consultation with relevant stakeholders,
including associations of recruitment agencies, manning agencies, OFW groups, and
advocates, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to implement the
provisions of this Act within ninety (90) days after its effectivity.
SEC.
17.
Appropriations.
–
The
amount
necessary
for
the
initial
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of
the departments and agencies concerned. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 18. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act or any part hereof be
declared unconstitutional or invalid, the same shall not affect the validity of the other
provisions of Act.
SEC. 19. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or
parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly.
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SEC. 20. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effects fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
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