DoLE lifts ban on Boracay work permits for foreigners
THE Department of Labor and employment (DoLE) has lifted the suspension on the issuance of work permits for foreigners in Boracay, following the reopening of the island on Oct. 26 after a six-month rehabilitation.
In an advisory, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III ordered the lifting of the suspension of the of alien employment permit (AEP), which was implemented on June 26, 2018, following Presidential Proclamation No. 475, series of 2018 which closed Boracay to visitors between April 26 and Oct. 25.
“In view of the lapse of the closure period stated under the Proclamation No. 475, s. 2018 and re-opening of the Island of Boracay as a tourist destination, this Department hereby orders the lifting of the suspension on the issuance of AEP,” according to the advisory.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte in early 2018 called Boracay as a “cesspool” and ordered its closure to fix a number of environmental problems, including garbage collection and sewage that was leaking out into the sea.
DoLE issues AEPs to foreigners planning to work in the country for more than six months.
The department exempted from suspension foreigners conducting research and work related to the rehabilitation of Boracay. Foreigners who were permanent residents and who hold temporary probationary resident visas under the Philippine Immigration Act and Alien Social Integration Act of 1995 were also unaffected by the suspension.
During the Senate Committee on Labor, and Employment Development inquiry on Nov. 26, the DoLE issued 115,652 AEPs between 2015 and 2017. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas