Philippine labor representative Joan Lourdes Lavilla said the number of contract applications went up to 65 in November from 37 in October.
Lavilla said the sudden increase, which was the highest number so far for the year, came before the federalization law took effect on Nov. 28.
“Employers were in a hurry and they rushed the applications to bring in hires from the Philippines before federalization,” Lavilla said.
From January to November, the Philippine Labor Office received over 200 applications for contracts, compared to the over a thousand each year in the past.
In 2004, for example, the labor office received 1,266 contract applications from the Philippines.
Following the implementation of the federalization law, Lavilla expects a drastic drop in the applications for an Overseas Employment Certificate, or OEC, that Filipino workers get prior to flying home for a vacation.
Under federalization, guest workers who want to visit their home country must apply for an advance parole for federal authorities and pay a $305 fee to be able to re-enter the CNMI and resume their work status here.
A decline in the number of OEC applications will also drag down the number of applications for Overseas Workers Welfare Administration membership, according to OWWA officer Rey Tayag.
To get an OEC, an applicant must present a receipt or certification of OWWA membership.
