EDITORIAL - Danger zones

Why, one family wanted to know, did the terrorists in Al-Khobar kill even Filipinos? The main targets of the militants who launched the weekend attack in the Saudi Arabian city, of course, were Americans and Europeans. Terrorists, however, can rarely afford to be picky when launching a large-scale attack; those in Al-Khobar grabbed or opened fire at anyone – locals and foreigners alike – who got in their way. And as in other conflict areas around the globe, Filipinos were among those caught in the crossfire.

The death of Filipino driver Joelly Giray in Al-Khobar has reportedly made his son rethink plans to work as well in Saudi Arabia. But for every tragedy that befalls a Filipino working overseas, there is another side to the story. Giray had been working in Saudi Arabia since 1991. His driver’s earnings sent two daughters through computer college; his son is on his fourth year as a computer engineer. Last January his birthday gift to his wife was a house in Cavite.

Stories like Giray’s guarantee that Filipinos will continue working even in conflict areas including Iraq. During Desert Storm Filipinos refused to abandon their jobs in the war zones, fearing their contracts would not be renewed. After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Filipinos braved the dangers in Iraq to work in coalition-run camps, enticed by big salaries and high hazard pay.

The Philippine government knows it cannot offer similar employment opportunities to lure home the millions of Filipinos working overseas. Remittances from these workers have played a major role in keeping the economy afloat and stabilizing the peso even during global slumps. The best that the government can do is to keep Filipinos fully informed about the hazards of working in certain areas particularly in the Middle East. All assistance must be given to make it easier for workers to return home due to security risks. Recruiters who do not give prospective overseas workers adequate warning about security problems must be penalized. Where needed, worker deployment must also be suspended. Filipinos must be told that in some cases, no matter how high the pay and attractive the benefits, certain employment opportunities are not worth it.