DOLE to fine aliens working without, with expired work permit
Foreign nationals found working anywhere in the country without an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) or with an expired AEP shall be fined P10,000, according to Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) Director Criselda Sy.
Sy said during the recently concluded Training on Alien Employment Regulation Program held at Punta Villa Resort, Iloilo City, under Department Order No. 97-09, series of 2009, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shall impose a fine of P10,000 for every year or a fraction thereof on foreign nationals found working without an AEP or with an expired AEP.
The training, which aimed to address various issues and concerns affecting the implementation of DO 97-09 or the Revised Rules for the Issuance of Employment Permits to Foreign Nationals, was attended by selected personnel from the DOLE Regional Office in Western, Central and Eastern Visayas.
In the case of expired AEPs, foreign nationals seeking renewal shall also be charged an additional P3,000 for every additional year of validity or a fraction thereof on top of the P10,000 fine. As a rule, an application for renewal of AEP shall be filed before its expiration.
All non-resident foreign nationals who are or will be engaged in gainful employment in the country must secure an AEP from the DOLE, for those whose employment contract is more than six months, or a Special Work Permit from the Bureau of Immigration (BOI), for those whose contract is 6 months or less.
However, if the contract extends for more than six months, they must already secure an AEP from the DOLE.
Sy added that foreign nationals must file their applications for AEP with the DOLE Provincial or Field Offices where their business or place of work is located.
“Kung saan yung lugar na kanilang pinagtatrabahuan, doon sila dapat mag-apply nang AEP,” she said.
From 2003 to 2008, the DOLE issued an average of 11,000 AEPs every year. Majority of AEP holders are Japanese (32%), Korean (28%), Chinese (14%), American (6%), Indian (5%), British and Taiwanese (4%), Malaysian (3%), Australian (2%), and German (1%).
Most of them occupy administrative, executive and managerial positions followed by technicians and associate professionals whose expertise are not available among Filipino workers.
They are usually found in the manufacturing industry, such in the Export Processing Zone Area, and Transport, storage, and Communications.
