Drawn by the unusually high salaries that are typical in high-risk areas, Filipinos flocked to Iraq for employment as soon as chaos reigned in that country following the US-led attack in 2003. To skirt the deployment ban imposed by Manila, Filipino workers entered Iraq through third countries.
Others, such as driver Angelo de la Cruz, transported goods across Iraq for employers based in neighboring countries, risking kidnapping and death to earn big money quickly. Philippine foreign policy had to be hastily amended and millions of pesos in public funds spent to buy the freedom of De la Cruz.
A decade after the US invasion, the Philippines has lifted its ban on the deployment of workers except household helpers in Iraq. This follows the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq nearly two years ago and normalization of ties between Manila and the post-Saddam government.
There are still pockets of conflict in Iraq, however – the so-called “no-go zones†– and overseas Filipino workers should be sufficiently warned about the risks of entering these areas. Any Filipino recruited for employment in Iraq should be required to undergo a seminar detailing all the potential risks to life and property in that country.
Events in the past years have shown that no country is safe from violent attacks. Iraq has no monopoly on armed conflict; foreign governments issue travel alerts for their citizens, warning them of potential terrorist attacks, kidnapping and criminality in certain parts of Mindanao and even Metro Manila.
The risks in Iraq, however, are still higher compared with the Philippines and many other countries. Filipino workers should be sufficiently briefed on what awaits them in Iraq, and the consequences of ignoring warnings. There should be no room for foolhardiness.