The government is strengthening its monitoring of the economic activities of foreign nationals, including retirees, as the country continues to allow the entry of foreign labor even in the face of the pandemic.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRetA) last week signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) allowing the free exchange of foreign national data between the two agencies at the DOLE Central Office.

“This data-sharing agreement will facilitate the exchange of information between DOLE and PRetA for better coordination, rendering of services, and monitoring of foreign nationals within our purview,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement on Sunday, highlighting the shared goal of the two agencies of monitoring the economic activities of foreign nationals in the country.

Under the agreement, PRetA can now verify the employment information of their Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) holders or those foreign nationals who choose to retire in the Philippines, through DOLE’s Alien Employment Permit (AEP) database.

The labor department issues AEP to authorize a foreign national to work in the Philippines.

“The pressing challenges of the pandemic impel us to forge solidarity and cooperation in promoting and monitoring the employment activities of foreign nationals in our country,” PRetA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Bienvenido K. Chy added.

According to the MOA, the exchange of employment information/data will be done quarterly via electronic mail or other forms of data transmission agreed upon by both parties.

Also present during the signing event were DOLE Undersecretary Renato Ebarle, Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay, and PRetA Management Services Department Manager Antonio V. Rivera. (PR)