The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has urged airlines to fully recognize the digital travel pass for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as the government completes its shift away from paper-based Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs).DMW Undersecretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay said Thursday that more than 335,000 digital travel passes have already been issued through the eGovPH app since its rollout on 15 September.The remaining compliance concerns, she said, are with the airlines, prompting the agency to issue an advisory to standardize recognition across carriers.The digital travel pass consolidates all necessary information into a single file but retains existing documentation requirements for OFWs departing for work abroad.To access the digital pass, OFWs must download the eGovPH application, register, and use the DMW Balik Manggagawa Service, which automatically syncs their employment data.A total of 335,831 passes have been generated to date.Despite the wide adoption of the digital system, Rubia-Tutay acknowledged that several airlines continue to demand printed copies, causing inconvenience to OFWs who have already transitioned to the digital format.“We are appealing to our colleagues in the airline industry that our fellow OFWs be allowed to simply show their travel pass on the eGov app,” she said.She noted that the DMW has already coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration, which raised no issues regarding the digital pass.
