Administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) urged overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to have their documents processed at POEA so that they will be properly documented.

Administrator Baldoz said that it is safer and better for overseas workers to be documented by the POEA and be covered by adequate protection through OWWA membership when leaving the country for overseas employment as OWWA Medicare provides medical, life and accident insurance.

Additional insurance is also provided to all Iraq-bound workers worth Php 200,000.00 as provided for in the POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 11. The additional Php 200,000.00 life and accident insurance is to be paid by the employers.

Administrator Baldoz said that a travel or deployment ban in Iraq can back down deployment and result to more illegal recruitment activities which will definitely place more workers at risk - at risk of illegal recruitment and at risk of working overseas without the necessary protection.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, through the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices is currently undertaking on-site documentation of overseas Filipino workers recruited outside of the country.

These workers are also enlisted in the OWWA Membership Program.

"This on-site processing will be further intensified as instructed by Department of Labor Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas," Administrator Baldoz added.