A resolution was filed in the House of Representatives to ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to extend for two years the validity of the passports of Filipino seafarers and land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
In House Resolution 2367 filed by Marino party-list Representatives Sandro Gonzales and Macnell Lusotan, they announced that OFWs could lose their jobs due to delayed processing of passports.
"Unfortunate as it may sound, there is an urgent need on the part of the government to support the deployment of OFWs through the extension of the validity of their passports to give them opportunity to be gainfully employed abroad while employment opportunities in the country remain scarce," according to the lawmakers.
Lawmakers want OFWs who are scheduled to be sent abroad to request an extension of the validity of their passports.
He added that it is common for seafarers that their passports must have 18 months of validity before deployment.
The DFA had earlier admitted that there was a backlog in the processing of passport applications and renewals due to limited appointment slots as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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