The decision whether to release you or not still rests on your employer's hands. Even you worked for more than the required 2-year basis, still the final decision is from them. Labor Department cannot interfere in this issue since your company has all the right to give or not to give a release considering that they brought you here from Philippines.

The only thing you could do is to persuade your employer to give you a release if better opportunity comes. And that's what happened to me.