Phl seen to lift deployment ban on Lebanon, Libya

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government is likely to lift its deployment to Lebanon and Libya and open more employment opportunities for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), recruitment industry representatives and government officials said yesterday.

Estrelita Hizon, Coalition of Licensed Agencies for Domestic and Service Workers president, said Lebanese and Philippine governments are set to forge a new agreement, and “the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) can (then) issue a resolution lifting the deployment imposed since 2006.”

She said prior to the deployment ban, over 30,000 domestic workers were employed in Lebanon. Of this number, 7,000 were repatriated shortly after hostilities broke out between Israeli and Hezbollah forces that eventually prompted the Philippines to impose a deployment ban.

According to Hizon, most of the household service workers who opted to stay in Lebanon after the imposition of the ban are now working as clerks, cashiers and waitresses.

She further claimed there is a high demand for domestic helpers and workers with other skills in Lebanon, whose economy is growing.

POEA chief Carlos Cao confirmed that the Philippines and Lebanon are expected to sign a new memorandum of agreement for the protection of Filipino workers early next year.

Labor Undersecretary Danny Cruz said bilateral agreement does not automatically translate into the lifting of the deployment ban to Lebanon, “but we are looking at the next positive step after the signing of the agreement.”

He also reported that the government may soon allow workers to return to their jobs in Libya after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recommended the lowering of the alert level there.

“There may be partial lifting of the ban and we could resume deployment only of returning workers if Malacañang would approve the recommendation of the DFA,” Cruz said. 

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the government is considering to re-open the Libyan market for Filipino medical workers and those working in gas and oil industries.

 “The greater bulk of our workers in Libya were medical workers and those engage in gas and oil and we may allow them to go back and workers considering that most of them were employed in multinational companies that could provide them better working conditions and protection,” she said.