The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will soon launch an online system that will streamline the process of application and issuance of travel clearance for minors traveling abroad (MTA).
Social Welfare Officer (SWO) IV Cheryl Mainar of the DSWD’s Program Management Bureau (PMB) told reporters that applicants no longer need to submit the required documents physically to any agency office nationwide.
SWO Mainar emphasized that applicants “can apply at the comfort of your home.”
“Yung dati ay manual processing, meaning you have to go to DSWD offices to apply for a travel clearance. Wala na silang pupuntahan na opisina ngayon. Sa bahay na lang nila as long as mayroon silang internet connection,” SWO Mainar said at the DSWD Thursday Media Forum on February 13 at the Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City.
A travel clearance is a document issued by the DSWD to minors or individuals below 18 years old travelling outside the Philippines who are unaccompanied by any of the parents or persons having parental responsibility or legal custody over the child.
The processing time for applications with complete verified and authentic documents will be 1-3 days in the new MTA system, according to the PMB.
“Ngayon po pwede na nilang makuha within the day and maximum na ang three days,” SWO Mainar told reporters.
When asked who are required to seek for a travel clearance, SWO Mainar said any Filipino minor using Philippine Passport who is traveling alone outside the Philippines; traveling with prospective adoptive parent/s for intercountry adoption; and traveling with a person other than his/her parent/s, legal guardian, or person exercising parental authority/legal custody over him/her needs to seek for a clearance from DSWD.
A Filipino minor who is illegitimate and is traveling with his/her biological father; and a minor below 13 years old but will be accompanied by a sibling or a relative within the 4th degree of consanguinity or affinity who is over 15 years old and whose purpose for travel is to permanently join the parent/s abroad also needs to secure a travel clearance.
The PMB social welfare officer also discussed cases in which a minor will be exempted from securing a travel clearance.
“A minor accompanied by: either or both of the minor’s parents, if the minor is legitimate; biological mother, if the minor is illegitimate; father who has been granted sole parental authority or custody by the proper court, if the minor is illegitimate; and legal guardian is exempted,” SWO Mainar said.
The MTA system will be launched on February 18 at the SMX Convention Center as part of the DSWD’s 74th anniversary celebration.
The operationalization of the MTA system is anchored on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr’s socio-economic agenda on the digitalization of government processes and operations.
Complete information on the application process and documentary requirements can be found in the DSWD Memorandum Circular 22, series of 2024 (https://www.dswd.gov.ph/issuances/MCs/MC_2024-022.pdf).
DSWD’s travel clearance for minors travelling abroad part of gov’t campaign vs child trafficking
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) emphasized on Thursday (February 13) that the issuance of a travel clearance for minors travelling abroad (MTA) is part of the national government’s campaign against child trafficking.
“Talagang this is an anti-trafficking measure and this is in cooperation with the Bureau of Immigration,” Social Welfare Officer (SWO) IV Cheryl Mainar of the agency’s Program Management Bureau (PMB) told reporters during the Thursday Media Forum held at the DSWD Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City.
To streamline the process of application, the DSWD under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian is set to launch the MTA System wherein individuals can apply for a travel clearance online.
A travel clearance is a requirement for minors or individuals below 18 years old travelling outside the Philippines who are not accompanied by any of the parents or persons having parental responsibility or legal custody over the child.
According to SWO IV Mainar, the agency is in the process of incorporating a system whereby the DSWD can track whether minors with issued travel clearance have returned to the Philippines on the scheduled date of arrival.
“Nasa phase two po ng system yung pag-track sa bata na inisyuhan natin ng clearance na ma-ensure na nakabalik sya doon sa schedule na nilagay nila kung kailan sila babalik,” SWO IV Mainar of the PMB told members of the media.
Republic Act (RA) 7610 otherwise known as the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act mandates the DSWD to issue travel clearance or Certificate of Travel to unaccompanied minors travelling abroad, as a measure to protect children and prevent child trafficking.
The MTA System will be launched on February 18, along with the other digitalization efforts of the DSWD as anchored on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr’s socio-economic agenda on the digitalization of government processes and operations.
DSWD announces soon-to-be-launched digital initiatives
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Division Chief Anna Maria Alexa Ledesma of the Standards Bureau (SB) and Social Welfare Officer IV Cheryl Mainar of the Program Management Bureau (PMB) discuss the agency’s latest digital initiatives during the DSWD Thursday Media Forum on February 13 at the Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City.
Division Chief Ledesma discussed the Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System or ‘HELPS,’ an online portal that is set to streamline the agency’s frontline services for social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs) and the issuance of travel permit under the Minors Travelling Abroad (MTA).
For her part, Social Welfare Officer Mainar outlined the online process of securing a clearance for minors travelling abroad unaccompanied by their parents or legal guardian.
These digital initiatives will be unveiled on February 18 at the SMX Convention Center as part of the DSWD’s 74th anniversary celebration.
The weekly Thursday Media Forum is hosted by Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for Communications Raymond Robert Burgos and Director Dianne Joie Ruiz of the Digital Media Service (DMS). The forum is live-streamed over the DSWD Facebook page.
