OFWs in Middle East look forward to returning home

MANILA, Philippines -  Thousands of Filipino workers in Iraq and Afghanistan are now looking forward to return home and spend the coming Christmas holidays with their families.

The Filipinos in Afghanistan (FIA) yesterday expressed happiness that after years of being separated from their loved ones, the partial lifting of the ban would now allow them to enjoy a hassle-free vacation here.

Emmanuel Geslani, FIA spokesman, said the workers can now breathe easier as the threat of being offloaded is remote.

“There were instances offloaded workers have to purchase tickets two or three times and try to board on different occasions costing their employers sums of money so that they could go to Iraq or Afghanistan to work,” Geslani said.

Earlier, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued a resolution lifting the partial ban, allowing workers who have existing employment contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan to go home and return to their employment.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the government decided to allow the Filipinos working in American military facilities to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan to preserve their jobs.

The Philippine government had earlier imposed a ban in the deployment of workers to Iraq and Afghanistan due to prevailing hostilities there.

Despite the ban, Filipino workers continued to sneak into the war-torn countries to seek high-paying jobs.

But the government issued a new policy after the US military ordered the repatriation of foreign workers from countries with existing deployment ban.