Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) are no longer required to pay premiums to the Philippine Health Insurance Incorporation (PhilHealth). Last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte suspended the mandatory premium payment of OFWs that they are required to pay to the PhilHealth.
The statement was televised by his spokesperson Henry Roque who stated that OFWs should pay on a voluntary basis. Roque also added that the payment premium is no longer required before OFWs can secure an overseas employment certificate.
“Sa ngayon po, habang meron tayong krisis, ang naging desisyon ng Presidente, huwag na muna tayong magpataw ng karagdagang pahirap sa ating mga OFWs, lalong lalo na sa panahon na napakadami sa kanila ang nare-repatriate at nawalan na rin ng trabaho,” Roque stated.
Duterte signed a law last February 2019 that required OFWs to pay 3 percent of their salary per month to PhilHealth. This was an adjustment they made from the previous flat fee of 2,400 pesos yearly.
While the implementation of the new fees was delayed, PhilHealth released a circular to start collecting them last week. PhilHealth also requires proof of payments to the state insurer before they issue an overseas employment certificate to the worker to allow them to work abroad.
There was a total of 400,00 signatures in a petition on Change.org before the presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced that health secretary Francisco Duque III had suspended the premium payments as ordered by Duterte.
A Hong Kong-based lawyer and journalist named Daisy Mandap stated that the health premium for an OFW was 2,400 before the Universal Health Care law and was not required except for those who are leaving the country for the first time.
This meant that a domestic worker in Hong Kong who is typically earning a minimum wage of HK$ 55, 560 a year are required to pay HK$ 1,667 in premiums annually. This is around 4.5 times higher than the original sum.
Following this, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said that OFWs who are departing should show proof of payment before being issued an overseas employment certificate— a requirement so that they could board a plane for their jobs abroad.
Roque, who authored the bill back when he was still a member of Congress said the part about increasing OFW premium payments was not included in his bill.
“They just concocted this. That’s not in the law,” he furthermore added.
Roque also said that the Universal Health Care bill went through several revisions in Congress, but there was no part that contains the schedule of rate hikes.
“In my version I abolished PhilHealth because of corruption. Lo and behold, instead of being abolished it was even strengthened. That’s why I’m angry,” Roque added.
Meanwhile, the Philippines terminated all incoming passenger flights for a week to give space in quarantine centers filled with thousands of migrant workers who came home during the pandemic.
However, the government said that outbound flights will continue to operate.
Source: SCMP.com
This website uses cookies.