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Pinoys displaced by war in Georgia back to work - DFA


MANILA, Philippines – More than 50 Filipino workers who were displaced by war in Georgia in the past weeks have returned to their place of work as conditions there have improved, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday. DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal told GMANews.TV that some of the 34 Filipino construction workers have returned to Tbilisi, capital city of Georgia, and are scheduled to arrive in Manila in the next few weeks. The OFWs left Tbilisi on August 11 as fighting between Georgian and Russian forces escalated. They passed through the city of Gori, crossed the Turkish border and reached the city of Istanbul after a 26-hour bus ride. “Some of the 34 Filipinos are on a scheduled visit to the Philippines. They might also wait it out in Manila for the meantime until the situation in Georgia goes back to normal," Cristobal said. Another 22 Filipinos working for ICTSI – a port company – have returned to Batumi, a seaside city on the Black Sea coast Georgia, after they were evacuated to Trabzon, Turkey earlier this month. “Everyone is accounted for. Even the spouses of some of the Filipino workers there," Cristobal added. Georgia, a small country between the border of eastern Europe and Asia, was recently invaded by Russian forces due to the conflict over Ossetia. The southern portion of Ossetia is part of Georgia but is controlled by the secessionist Republic of South Ossetia, which is backed by Russia. The northern portion or the Republic of the North Ossetia-Alania is within the Russian Federation. The two countries have subsequently signed a cease-fire pact with the help of European countries. Despite the ongoing conflict, the DFA is reluctant about recommending a ban on the “deployment" of OFWs to Georgia. “We have to wait things out first. Conditions have improved anyway," Cristobal said. The Philippine government has prohibited the deployment of Filipino workers to Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, and Lebanon. A temporary suspension of deployment has also been imposed in Jordan after the Philippine consular office there experienced an upsurge of runaway workers who complained of various abuses from their employers. - GMANews.TV
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