DFA to certify 37 previously unsafe OFW destinations

MANILA, Philippines - Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can look forward to a better year this coming 2012.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has reported that 37 of the 41 countries previously declared as “unsafe destination” can continue hiring Filipino workers without any hitches.

POEA chief Carlos Cao said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is set to issue soon a certification and submit to the POEA the list of the 37 countries.

“We got word from the DFA that of the 41 countries which were previously barred from hiring OFWs, 37 would be certified as safe destination,” Cao said in an interview.

The DFA initially came out with a report identifying 41 countries as “non-compliant” or considered unsafe destinations for Filipino workers.

The DFA, however, eventually withdrew the non-certification of the 41 countries and sought a three-month deferment in the implementation of the deployment ban.

Labor officials said neither the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) nor the POEA has the authority to reverse the DFA certification, thus the need for DFA to take the necessary action to withdraw certification.

They said the DFA certification served as absolute basis for the POEA resolution and “there is no elbow room” for the POEA governing board because the law provides that the latter can be held criminally liable if they allowed deployment to countries considered unqualified by the DFA.

Meanwhile, the POEA is also deliberating on the recommendation of the DFA to lift the existing ban in the deployment of OFWs to Nigeria.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the POEA governing board would convene on Monday to discuss and come out with the necessary resolution on the DFA’s recommendation for the full lifting of the deployment ban.

Baldoz said the Philippine government is likely to lift the deployment ban considering that the peace and order situation in Nigeria has already improved.

Several years ago, the Philippine government stopped the deployment of workers there due to hostilities and kidnapping of OFWs.