POEA suspends travel to Lebanon

As armed conflict in Lebanon worsens, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has suspended not only the deployment of Filipino workers to that country but also the application and processing of travel documents as well.

POEA regional director Evelia Durato said they have already released Advisory Number 9, which suspends the processing of all travel documents for Filipino contract workers bound for Lebanon.

Durato said they have earlier suspended the deployment of workers in Lebanon but because the situation has worsened, they have decided to suspend the processing of documents as well.

Durato said her office in coordination with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Labor and Employment have started preparing for the arrival of the OFWs from Lebanon.

DOLE officials said they would put up regional committees nationwide where families of OFWs could ask for information and help on their affected loved ones.

DOLE Secretary Arturo Brion allayed fears of the families on the safety of their loved ones in Lebanon, assuring them that the government is doing its best to assist their kin in the strife-torn nation.

He assured them that preparations are under way to bring the OFWs to safer places in case the conflict in Lebanon escalates.

Data from the POEA showed that at least 14,970 OFWs were deployed to Lebanon in 2005.

To facilitate communication with the families of OFWs in Lebanon, Brion said that DOLE offices in the regions would be mobilized to put up committees in coordination with the regional offices of POEA and OWWA.

In a press release, Brion said that those who seek information about their kin in Lebanon may call or text OWWA's operations center (OPCenter) at hotline numbers 833-6992, 551-1560 and 0917-8986992.

According to him, the OWWA center in Pasay City provides 24-hour, seven-day global operations that continuously monitor and provide assistance to OFWs in coordination with Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) worldwide. The OWWA OPCenter is closely coordinating with the POLO in Lebanon, Brion said.

Brion stressed that the POLO staff and other officials at the Philippine embassy in Lebanon have been busy assisting OFWs seeking refuge from the ongoing Israel-Hezbullah conflict.

He added that Filipino embassy personnel are maintaining a 24-hour monitoring center that advises and assists walk-in OFWs, including those who contact the embassy through telephone.

Some 117 OFWs have been relocated to the Church of the Miraculous Medal in Lebanon, he said, adding that the Filipino refugees in that country would be brought to safer places if the conflict worsens.

Filipino officials in Lebanon are seeking assistance in finding a ship that could be used to evacuate OFW refugees to Cyprus, Brion said.



DFA regional director Angel Esperitu said they have already identified five transit points from where OFWs will fly back to the Philippines. These transit points include Turkey, Greece, Syria, Cyprus and Dubai. -Wenna A. Berondo and Fred P. Languido