Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26) — The Labor Department says that information collected from returning overseas Filipino workers through the OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS) is kept secure.
The assurance was made by Department of Labor and Employment Assistant Secretary Alex Avila in a Laging Handa virtual briefing on Thursday after he was asked whether the collation of information from OFWs through OASIS violates the country’s data privacy rules in any way.
Avila said the government wants the OFWs’ arrival to be organized to avoid delays when they land at the airport, get tested, and travel to quarantine facilities.
He added that there is a guarantee indicated in the system that information registered by OFWs will be used in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
Earlier this month, DOLE activated OASIS, which is accessible online, to help track returning OFWs for repatriation and assistance purposes. The tracker was launched with related government bodies Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) along with labor offices abroad.
Returning overseas workers with no access to the Internet may fill up forms manually upon arrival at the airport.
The returnees will be given OASIS forms by OWWA personnel at the airport for filling up manually. Staff from the Labor Department will then register them online on the worker’s behalf.
Avila also clarified that while the program was intended to prioritize OFWs returning to the Philippines, even workers abroad with no intent of flying home may also provide their information through OASIS.
