Government reviews deployment ban to Iraq

MANILA, Philippines - The government may lift the ban in the deployment of Filipino workers to Iraq, perhaps as early as next year.

“The ban is now under review and we expect the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to come out with a recommendation maybe early next year,” Philippine Overseas Employment Administration chief Hans Cacdac said.

Cacdac said the DFA would assess not only the security and welfare of Filipino workers but also the political situation in Iraq before coming out with a decision.

He said Iraq and 15 other countries were found to be “non-compliant” with the requirements of the newly amended Migrants Workers Act. The law prohibits the deployment of workers to countries considered as unsafe.

 These countries are Afghanistan, Chad, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea/North Korea, Eritrea, Haiti, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Palestine, Somalia, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.

Cacdac said the DFA is also reviewing the situation in these non-compliant countries to determine if the deployment of Filipino workers can be allowed.