UMVA has learned that Clark Development Corp. is grappling with a seismic shift in how foreign work permits are handled, a move that could ripple through the heart of the Philippines’ business landscape.
The Department of Labor and Employment’s new order, which centralizes alien employment permit processing in Manila, has rattled the network of locators that once thrived on regional autonomy.
Locators, the lifelines that connect foreign talent to local opportunities, are voicing sharp concerns about every twist in the application maze— from opaque timelines to confusing payment steps and the mystery of when AEP cards finally arrive.
These permits are the key that unlocks doors for foreigners, enabling everything from visa renewals to new job contracts, and the sudden loss of regional processing power threatens to choke that flow.
For years, the joint memorandum that stitched together Clark, DoLE, the Bureau of Immigration, and other agencies had ensured a smooth, compliant dance between labor and immigration.
Now, the CDC urges its locators to cast a vigilant eye on permits nearing expiration, pushing early renewals to dodge the turbulence of the new system.
Agnes VST Devanadera, the CDC’s president and CEO, has already carried the locators’ alarms to DoLE’s doorstep, and she is slated to meet the Acting Labor Secretary to lay out a roadmap for relief.
In parallel, the CDC will collaborate with the Bureau of Immigration’s commissioner to iron out visa renewals and other AEP‑related immigration hurdles, ensuring no one is left stranded.
All input will be folded into a comprehensive submission to DoLE, a testament to the CDC’s pledge to balance national policy with the pulse of business activity.
Founded in 1993, the CDC’s mission to steer Clark Freeport Zone and Clark Special Economic Zone remains steadfast, even as it navigates these unprecedented changes.
