Phl gov't urges Filipino workers in Ukraine to avoid going to public places

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) advised today overseas Filipino workers ( OFWs) in Ukraine to stay calm and stay home, and not to make any unnecessary visit or detours to public places where marches or protests are being held.

DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz made the advice while the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has not recommended yet any voluntary or mandatory repatriation of OFWs from the said country.

She said her office is "in close contact" with the DFA in monitoring the situation in Ukraine.

Baldoz said data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that only 115 OFWs were deployed to Ukraine in 2013 and 57 in 2012, or a total of 175. Most of the OFWs deployed were administrative and managerial workers while the rest were service workers.

The DFA has strongly advised all Filipinos in Ukraine to communicate with the Philippine Embassy in Moscow and inform the embassy of their whereabouts and their current condition. The Philippines has no embassy in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, but has an honorary consul there.

The DFA also encouraged Filipinos in Ukraine to contact their families in the Philippines and apprise them of their situation. It also said that Filipinos wanting to return to the Philippines should contact the Philippine Embassy.

The Eastern European country that borders Russia on the east and northeast was rocked by civil disturbance in recent weeks that led to a new government.