Handbook for OFWs Act of 2018

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Republic Act No. 11227 (Handbook for OFWs Act of 2018)

Title and Objectives
- The law is known as the "Handbook for OFWs Act of 2018" (Section 1)
- It mandates the creation of a handbook for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to serve as a reference on their rights, responsibilities, employment conditions, and reintegration into Philippine society (Section 2)
- The objectives include empowering OFWs by making them aware of their rights and responsibilities, complementing worker education programs, providing information on labor and living conditions in destination countries, making workers aware of the benefits and drawbacks of working overseas, and providing information for reintegration (Section 3)

Handbook Contents and Dissemination
- The handbook shall be written in English with translations in local languages as necessary (Section 2)
- It shall inform OFWs of their rights as workers and human beings, instruct them on how to assert their rights, and provide mechanisms for redress of rights violations (Section 4, amending Section 23(b.1) of Republic Act No. 8042)
- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is mandated to develop, publish, disseminate, and periodically update the handbook (Section 4, amending Section 23(b.1) of Republic Act No. 8042)
- The handbook shall be provided to every land-based and sea-based worker free of charge (Section 2)

Implementing Agencies and Funding
- The POEA, in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), is mandated to implement the law (Section 5)
- The necessary funds for the continuous publication, distribution, and update of the handbook shall be taken from the appropriations of the POEA and subsequently provided for in the General Appropriations Act (Section 6)

Repealing and Separability Clauses
- All laws, rules, or regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are repealed or amended accordingly (Section 7)
- If any provision of the Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, it shall not affect other provisions not affected thereby (Section 8)

Effectivity
- The Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette and in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation (Section 9)