Applicants for Korean factories troop to POEA

CEBU, Philippines - For the first time, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)-Visayas was able to gather over a thousand applicants for its Employment Permit System (EPS) for factory workers in Korea.

The applicants gathered in front of the POEA Cebu office since Tuesday. They are applying as factory workers in Korea and the EPS registration is one of the requirements needed for an applicant to take the Korean Language Test on August 11 at Marigondon National High School.

POEA Regional Center for Visayas Chief Evelia Durato, said that they did not anticipate the huge number of people applying this year as there were less than 500 applicants last year.

She said that they started accepting applicants last Tuesday and will end today. As of the other day, they registered close to 500 applicants already who are qualified to take the examination next month. With the huge turnout, Durato said that they are considering a bigger space next year.

“Next time around, siguro we will be looking for a bigger space. This is the first time that we are mobbed with this number of people,” Durato told The Freeman in a phone interview.

Durato clarified that the registered applicants must first pass the Korean Language Test before they can be included in POEA’s system.

As to the number of factory workers needed for Korea, Durato said that there is no specific amount of people to be hired since it will be the employer from Korea who will be choosing whom they will hire through the POEA’s EPS.

“As of yesterday, we were able to register almost 500 applicants already and I believe that this will double or will be nearing a thousand as we end (today),” Durato said.

The applicants came from Bacolod, Iloilo. Tacloban, Siquijor, Negros Occidental, Panay Island, Panay Province, Bohol, Cebu Provice and Cebu City. Even applicants coming from Northern Mindanao also came here to apply since Cebu is more accessible to them.

Durato said that they also conducted the same event in Metro Manila for Luzon and Davao for Mindanao. She said Korea is one of the biggest employers of Filipinos.

Durato said that the complete list of those who passed the examinations will be sent to the Human Resource Departments of the Korean employers who will just search POEA’s system for the applicants that they will hire. Once chosen, the applicants will be informed to report to the POEA office for documentation.  (FREEMAN)