InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs has withdrawn its certification for 41 countries that served as basis for a deployment ban issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
This should pave the way for the POEA to issue another circular nullifying the ban.
The DFA move was welcomed by many stakeholders, including the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-profit organization engaged in labor and migration issues.
"This paves the way for a stress-free Christmas for our overseas workers who live and work in any of these 41 countries," Susan Ople, the president of the Center said.
Ople said the DFA’s decision is timely because the Center has been receiving e-mails and Facebook messages from concerned workers who have already made travel and vacation plans for December.
She cited an e-mail sent by a casino worker based in Cambodia who already bought a ticket for him and his wife so they could spend Christmas in the Philippines. Cambodia was among the 41 countries included in the POEA’s deployment ban.
The Ople Center called on the DFA, POEA, legislators and different stakeholders to use the deferment period to sit down and thresh out possible solutions to the rampant abuse and maltreatment of Filipino workers particularly household service workers abroad. It also called for a review of earlier lists that contained countries with OFW-friendly policies.
The former labor undersecretary noted the inclusion of the Ivory Coast in Africa and Jordan in the Middle East as “compliant” countries. She cited previous cases of human trafficking involving Filipino women in both countries.
The OFW advocate also urged the DFA to direct its foreign posts to consult OFW groups in their countries of jurisdiction when revisiting these certifications. "It’s ironic that OFWs were not part of on-site consultations since the law was crafted to protect them."
