TOLENTINO WANTS DFA TO PREVENT CONFISCATION OF OFW PASSPORTS

Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino wants the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and other concerned agencies to protect the rights of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to hold on to their passports while working abroad.

Tolentino made this suggestion to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by Senator Koko Pimentel, in relation to proposals to amend the Philippine Passport Act.

"We can make it explicit in our passports that it would be illegal for foreign employers to confiscate passports of Filipino workers," said Tolentino.

"Puwede nating idagdag, while valid this passport must not be confiscated by private employers and must be surrendered upon demand by an authorized representative of the Philippine government," he added.

Through this, Tolentino said foreign employers will be aware that confiscating passports of Filipino workers is illegal.

The Senator said the DFA, through bilateral exchanges and communiqués with counterparts, can relay this prohibition so it can also be implemented in other countries.

The DFA, through Office of Consular Affairs Executive Director Maria Alnee Gamble, said it can implement Tolentino's suggestion.