Gov’t bans OFW deployment to Iraqi Kurdistan region

MANILA, Philippines - The government has ordered a ban in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the Iraqi Kurdistan region due to the worsening situation there.

“We received an advance notice from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that crisis alert in Iraqi Kurdistan region has been raised to level 2 which means POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) will stop processing and deployment of new hires to the region,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said yesterday.

Returning workers are still allowed to go there until the DFA raises the crisis alert level, she said.

The POEA exempted the Kurdistan region from the deployment ban when the crisis alert was only at level 1.

She said the POEA governing board also issued another resolution reiterating the total ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Iraq.

“With the imposition of the total deployment ban, no Filipino workers, new hire or returning workers, can be processed or allowed to continue with their employment in Iraq,” she said.

She directed the DOLE’s Quick Reaction Team to closely coordinate with the DFA, local recruitment agencies and other concerned agencies for the immediate and safe repatriation of workers from Iraq.

The DFA earlier raised crisis alert level 4 in Iraq, which calls for mandatory repatriation of all OFWs there.

There are over 900 OFWs in Iraq, and about 600 are expected to return home.

Since January this year, a total of 373 workers were deployed to Iraq and nine to Kurdistan. Nine workers were also processed for Iraq a day before the imposition of the total deployment ban last June 13.

Deployment of new hires to Iraq has sharply dropped in the past years although deployment of rehires increased by 57 percent from 2012 to 2013.

Repatriates from Libya

Meanwhile, 15 Filipino workers from Libya arrived yesterday, bringing to 157 the repatriates from the troubled country. The group of Filipinos are employees of Hyundai E&C.

The DFA said another group of 310 OFWs in Libya would also be repatriated.

Travel exemptions for returning OFWs to Libya have been approved but crisis alert level 3 remains in effect.

The DFA reiterated its advice to Filipinos in Libya to avail themselves of the voluntary repatriation program. – With Pia Lee-Brago