FOREIGNERS can start working again in Boracay, as the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) lifted the temporary suspension on the issuance of Alien Employment Permits (AEPs) to foreign nationals in the island.

“In view of the lapse of the closure period and the re-opening of the island of Boracay as a tourist destination, the department orders the lifting of the temporary suspension on the issuance of the AEP,” said Dole in its Labor Advisory 01-2019.

Dole said the order will take effect immediately.

An AEP is one of the requirements for the issuance of a work visa to foreigners who intend to engage in gainful employment in the Philippines. It is issued once it is ascertained that a foreign worker will be performing a job that local workers are not capable of doing.

To recall, Dole Secretary Silvestre Bello III ordered the suspension of the AEP issuance to foreign nationals looking to work in Boracay last June 2018. This was in accordance to the temporary closure of Boracay from April 26 until October 25, 2018 as ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The temporary closure of Boracay was made to pave way for the rehabilitation and restoration of the island. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)