President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday requested a joint memorandum circular from some government agencies to harmonize policy guidelines for hiring foreign workers.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte requested a joint memorandum circular among the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Professional Regulation Commission, Bureau of Immigration and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency to harmonize policy guidelines for foreign nationals intending to work here.

“Through this JMC ( joint memorandum circular), foreign nationals shall first secure an alien employment permit, a working visa, and a tax identification number before they can be permitted to work in the country,” said Panelo.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Panelo said foreign workers, especially those who are working illegally, should comply with regulations or they will face deportation.

He assured the public Filipinos will not lose their job once foreigners were allowed to work here.

“We are clear on this that we will just get them if Filipinos cannot do the job. If specialized (job) then we can learn from them… then we don’t need them anymore,” said Panelo.

During their Cabinet meeting, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III told the president Chinese, Japanese, Koreans are the top three foreign workers in the country who are mostly working in administrative support, offshore gaming operations and business process outsourcing.

Last June 4, the Bureau of Immigration conducted one of the largest mass cancellation of working visas for fraud, involving 528 foreign nationals following an intensified monitoring of aliens.

These 528 will be expelled from the country and will be blacklisted. Ella Dionisio/DMS