About POEA

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Our Vision
Excellence in governance for world-class Filipino migrant workers

Our Mission
POEA connects to the world and in partnership with all stakeholders, facilitates
the generation and preservation of decent jobs for Filipino migrant workers,
promotes their protection and advocates their smooth reintegration into
Philippine society.

Legal Mandate
PD 797 (1982)
promote and develop the overseas employment program
protect the rights of migrant workers
EO 247 (1987)
regulate private sector participation in recruitment and overseas
placement maintain registry of skills
secure best terms of employment for OFWs
RA 8042 (1995)
tripartism
full disclosure
deregulation
selective deployment
dynamism in systems and information technology
RA 9422 (2007)
reinforced regulatory function
protect the rights of OFW as a worker and human being
RA 10022
Amended certain provisions of RA 8042. Inclusion of mandatory
insurance for OFWs

Structure

The POEA has an organizational structure with the POEA Governing Board
at the top. The Secretary of Labor and Employment heads the Governing
Board, and the POEA Administrator as vice-chairman and representatives
from the private, women, sea-based and land-based sectors as members.
The POEA Administrator oversees the daily operations of the agency and
is supported by three deputy administrators.
The Deputy Administrator for Employment and Welfare oversees the PreEmployment Services Office and the Welfare and Employment Office.

Under the Deputy Administrator for Adjudication and Employment

Regulation are the Licensing and Regulation Office and the Adjudication
Office
The Deputy Administrator for Management handles the general
administrative and support services of the administration.

Clientele
An average of 3,000 clients and as much as 5,000 clients s are served by POEA
main office daily. Our clients include Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)
Licensed Recruitment and Manning Agencies Foreign Employers/Principals
Applicants Workers/ Would be Applicants, NGOs, media, and the general public.

Regional Offices
The POEA has three (3) Regional Centers which are located in La Union for Luzon,
Cebu for the Visayas region and Davao for the Mindanao area. Regional
Extension Units are in Baguio-Cordillera Administrative Region, Iloilo, Cagayan de
Oro and Zamboanga while satellite offices are located in Pampanga, Calamba,
Laguna, Legaspi, Bacolod and Tacloban

Core Functions
Industry Regulation
Issues license to engage in overseas recruitment and manning to private
recruitment agencies and ship manning companies
Hears and arbitrates complaints and cases filed against recruitment and
manning agencies, foreign principals and employers, and overseas
workers for reported violation of POEA rules and regulations, except for
money claims
Implements a system of incentives and penalty for private sector
participants
Sets minimum labor standards
Monitors overseas job advertisements on print, broadcast and television
Supervises the governments program on anti-illegal recruitment
Imposes disciplinary actions on erring employers and workers and
seafarers
Employment Facilitation
Accredits/ registers foreign principals and employers hiring Filipino
workers
Approves manpower requests of foreign principals and employers
Evaluates and processes employment contracts
Assists departing workers at the ports of exit
Develops and monitors markets and conducts market research
Conducts marketing missions
Enters into memorandum of understanding on the hiring of Filipino
workers with laborreceiving countries
Facilitates the deployment of workers hired through government-togovernment arrangement

Provides a system of workers registry

Workers Protection
Intensifies public education and information campaign
Conducts pre-employment orientation and anti-illegal recruitment
seminars nationwide
Conducts Pre-Deployment Orientation Seminars (PDOS) to workers hired
through the government-to-government arrangement and name hires
Provides technical assistance in the drafting of bilateral and multilateral
agreements
Provides legal assistance to victims of illegal recruitment
Prepares OFW global mapping and profiling
Implements gender-sensitive programs
Networks with non-government organizations, workers organizations, etc.
Provides repatriation assistance
General Administration and Support Services
Human Resources Development
Property and Supplies Management
Financial Management
Information and Communication Technology
Plans and Policy Development
Quality Management System

Program Thrusts
INDUSTRY REGULATION
Continuing Agency Education and Agency Performance Evaluation/Ranking and
Classification System
- Pre-application orientation seminar
- Labor market fora
- Seminar on best recruitment practices
Implementation of comprehensive case management program
Conciliation
Adjudication
Monitoring of appeals
Enforcement of decisions
EMPLOYMENT FACILITATION
Facilitation of 1 million OFW deployment
Dispatch of technical marketing missions
Intensify marketing intelligence work
Pursue bilateral/multi-lateral agreements
Encourage visit of foreign govts and employers
Strengthen linkages with education and training sector
Enhance coordination with host governments
Enforce policy on skills competencies

WORKERS PROTECTION

Global OFW mapping and profiling

- Fast track information on OFWs worldwide, their work sites, skills, and gender.
The
target countries for 2008 are: KSA, JAPAN, TAIWAN, UAE, KUWAIT, QATAR,
HONG KONG, LEBANON, SOUTH KOREA, BAHRAIN, SINGAPORE, JORDAN, ISRAEL,
OMAN, UK, USA, MALAYSIA, BRUNEI, CYPRUS, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, RUSSIA,
AFGHANISTAN, ALGERIA, ANGOLA, IRAN, IRAQ, NIGERIA, YEMEN

Intensification of AIR campaign

PREVENTIVE
Pre-employment orientation seminars
Illegal recruitment free-LGUs
Multi-media information and education program
REMEDIAL
Legal assistance to IR victims
Surveillance/Entrapment operations
Arrests
Prosecution
Closure of establishments
Implementation of incentive program for victims and witnesses of illegal
recruitment
Payment of docket fees and other court or legal fees
Employment without placement fees

Provision of on-site remedies to OFWs

to file complaints against

employer or agency
OFWs may file complaints for violations of POEA rules against principal,
employer, and/or Philippine recruitment agency at the Philippine Overseas Labor
Office s (POLOs)