Ban on Pinoy deployment to Middle East lifted

The government lifted yesterday a day-old ban on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) going to the Middle East, except Iraq, despite the United States-led war on Baghdad.

Immigration supervisor Ferdinand Sampol said Filipinos will once again be allowed to go to work in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Israel, following an order lifting a ban imposed on Thursday as part of precautions after US-led forces moved against Iraq.

However, a ban on workers going to Iraq will remain in force.

The Philippines has 1.5 million contract workers in the Middle East, half of them in Saudi Arabia. There were fewer than 100 Filipinos in Iraq prior to the war.

President Arroyo has given her backing for the US armed action with the expectation that the war would be "surgical, short and swift" and would not pose "a mortal threat" to OFWs.

A Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) order issued the other day banned the deployment of OFWs going to Iraq, Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The ban was later modified by acting Labor Secretary Manuel Imson so as to enable returning workers and those with confirmed flight bookings to leave the country and fulfill their contracts. Then, the ban was lifted.

"We decided to relax the suspension after carefully assessing the development in the region and noting that the situation in the three countries remains safe, especially for air travel," Imson said in a statement.

Under the previous department order, he said, OFWs with overseas employment clearance and confirmed flight bookings processed before March 20 can return to their jobs in Kuwait, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Imson added they are continuously reviewing the deployment policy to the Middle East at this time.

"We emphasize that the DOLE’s primordial consideration in doing these actions remains the safety and welfare of our OFWs," Imson said.

In the past two days, more than a thousand OFWs in the Middle East came home as tensions rose in the Gulf region due to the US-led attack on Iraq.

Yesterday, more than 300 OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from Kuwait via Kuwait Airways.

Last Thursday, 342 OFWs flew in from Bahrain on Gulf Air. Another 342 OFWs arrived from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia via Saudia Airlines later the same day.

All the OFWs came home voluntarily – some left because of the tension in the Middle East while others were on a scheduled vacation or had just finished their contract.

Meanwhile, at least 20 OFWs were evacuated from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia.

Nicon Fameronag, DOLE Information and Public Service director, said they received information from the team led by Ret. Gen. Roy Cimatu that 20 Filipino engineers in Kuwait were voluntarily evacuated by their employers to Riyadh.

"Based on the information, Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. voluntarily evacuated the Filipino workers to Saudi where they will stay for 15 days," he said.

If the situation in the region improves by then, Fameronag said, the workers will return to their jobs in Kuwait but if not, their employers will pay for their flight back home.

Fameronag also noted 20 other overstaying Filipino workers were relocated to the "Bahay Pinoy" evacuation center in Nuwalsib. A total of 120 workers are now staying in the center.

He added that Cimatu’s team was also checking on the condition of the 1,920 Filipino workers in Jahra, which is just 100 kilometers away from the American buffer zone in Kuwait.

A majority of the workers in Jahra, Fameronag said, are domestic helpers and the Cimatu team is checking on who among them are willing to be moved to safer areas.

But, he said, while other foreign workers are already fleeing from Kuwait, Filipino workers are still holding on to their jobs.

"They are heeding our preparations and they still don’t want to leave their workplace at this time," Fameronag said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said foreign affairs and labor officials should intensify their information campaign on the temporary deployment ban, in the wake of earlier reports that Filipino workers bound for the Middle East were clueless on why they were prevented at the airport from boarding their planes.

"Our migrant workers deserve an explanation from the government. They should not be left in the dark, wondering why they are being prevented from leaving. It is imperative for our officials to explain to the affected parties the reasons for the temporary ban," he said. – Sandy Araneta, Mayen Jaymalin, Jose Rodel Clapano, Ann Corvera, Katherine Adraneda, AFP