DOLE – AKAP is a one-time financial assistance to displaced land based and sea based OFWs from the Philippine government. All OFWs that are eligible to receive this financial assistance from POLO and DOLE. The government’s budget for this program is around 1.6 billion pesos, giving USD 200 or PhP 10,000 to each qualified OFW.
Who is eligible to receive this financial assistance? Qualified OFWs may either be regular or documented, undocumented, or Balik-Manggagawas who can’t return to their host country due to the pandemic. The eligibility will be further discussed below.
How to Receive USD 200 Financial Assistance as a Displaced OFW
Who is eligible for the DOLE-AKAP?
You are eligible if you are:
1. Displaced from your job because of the lockdown or community quarantine imposed by the country and if you are infected by the virus.
2. You have not received any financial assistance or support from your employer or the country you are working in.
3. You are still in the country you are working in, or you’re back in the Philippines through repatriation or being a Balik-Manggagawa.
4. If you are an undocumented OFW, you can still qualify if you were previously documented but just lost that status.
5. You’re not registered at POEA yet, but you have started taking steps to regularize your status or contracts.
6. You’re not registered with POEA or your contracts have not been processed by POEA or POLO but you are a member of OWWA when you apply for this financial assistance.
How to Apply for DOLE-AKAP for OFWs in Qatar
1. Go to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office website.
2. Download THIS FORM at the website, print it, fill it up, and then reupload it.
3. Aside from the accomplished application form, also upload the following:
a. Copy of passport (travel document is also allowed)
b. Proof that you are employed overseas. This may include valid OEC that is verified by POLO, residence I.D. visa or re-entry visa, and similar documents.
c. Proof that you lost your employment due to the pandemic.
d. If you are an undocumented OFW but have filed a case to show that it’s not your fault why you’re undocumented, show proof of the case, such as case endorsement with stamp from POLO and the like.
4. After submitting all of the above mentioned documents, POLO OWWA will proceed to evaluating them. All you have to do now is wait for at most 5 working days for their approval. When approved, you will receive the special financial assistance of USD 200 through money remittance or bank transfer.
5. Take note that POLO OWWA strongly advises all OFWs in Qatar to submit their documents online and not go to the office. This is to avoid crowding and ensure social distancing.
As of the time of this writing, the filing for DOLE-AKAP is temporarily closed due to the overwhelming number of applications that the office has received. This just shows how many OFWs truly need the assistance in Qatar. The best thing we can do right now is to cooperate with what the government, through the advice of health experts, is telling us to do. That is, stay at home, observe proper hygiene, and wait for the financial assistance and other benefits that are sure to arrive.
DISCLAIMER: The topics presented in this article are for information-sharing purposes only. They may be used as a personal guide, but they should not be used as a basis for actual cash assistance concerns. To learn more about getting the Financial Assistance for OFWs in Qatar, visit the POLO Doha official website.