DOLE Activates Virus Tracking System for Returning OFWs, Assures Data Privacy

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced the activation of a virus tracking system for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The department also assures data privacy for the OFWs, saying that it only wants to keep track of the returning OFWs to streamline their repatriation and better provide them with the best assistance they needed.

Virus Tracking System

The OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS) was created by DOLE’s crisis management personnel to help the government keep track of returning OFWs who were affected by the COVID-19 crisis, explained Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

He said that this program was activated by the DOLE as a means to help those who are affected by the pandemic and were forced to go back home.

virus tracking system

Photo credit: PNA

An oasis symbolizes hope in a desert of trials. The system that we created aims to give our OFWs a ray of hope by ensuring that we provide them efficient and timely assistance to ease their anxieties when returning home in the midst of this pandemic,” Bello explained.

OASIS will serve as database for displaced OFWs, allowing the government to easily check their current location, determine which flight they boarded, local addresses, health conditions, and other relevant information.

This will help the government “facilitate their organized arrival at the airport, efficient swab testing, and rapid pick up and transport to their respective hotels and homes and other necessary processes,” the labor department explained.

How to Register for the Virus Tracking System

It is easy for OFWs to register with OASIS. Just go to oasis.owwa.gov.ph. Fill out all the information sheet. Make sure to check the box to certify that they read the form and understood its contents. Checking the box also means that you give consent for the government to process their data under the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

virus tracking system

Photo credit: OASIS

You will also need to upload a photo of your valid ID.

Submit the form and wait for the confirmation on your registered email account. For the system to work properly, OFWs are reminded to properly accomplish the form.