'Think twice before taking jobs abroad'

Aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) should at least think twice before they decide to accept job offers abroad – especially to places that have been considered unfit for employment, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Wednesday. “(I) hope that prospective overseas workers will be discerning in pursuing employment abroad, especially with regard to accepting appointments at work destinations that have been declared off-limits due to safety concerns, like war zones and areas of armed conflict," said OWWA chief Carmelita Dimzon. Dimzon issued the statement after the remains of two of the 10 Filipinos killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan – where there is an existing deployment ban – arrived in Manila on Tuesday via Qatar Airways Flight QR646. The victims were killed on July 19 after the Russian-owned civilian Mi-8 helicopter transporting them crashed on the tarmac in Kandahar Air Base shortly after takeoff at NATO's largest air base in Afghanistan. [See: 10 Pinoys killed in Afghan chopper crash] The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier identified the 10, who were employees of US-based construction firm The AIM Group, Inc. as: 1. Celso Q. Caralde (born in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental) 2. Ely I. Cariño (Cabusao, Camarines Sur) 3. Ernesto C. De Vega (Naic, Cavite) 4. Manolito C. Hornilla (Taysan, Batangas) 5. Leopoldo G. Jimenez Jr. (Lubao, Pampanga) 6. Mark Joseph C. Mariano (Floridablanca, Pampanga) 7. Marvin P. Najera (San Fernando, Pampanga) 8. Rene D. Taboclaon (Cagayan de Oro City) 9. Recardo E. Vallejos (Bislig, Surigao del Sur) 10. Noli M. Visda (Lubao, Pampanga) Only the bodies of Jimenez and Hornilla were repatriated because the remains of the other eight were severely charred, thus in need of DNA testing for identification. [See: 8 Pinoys in Afghan crash to undergo DNA testing] “They will be repatriated as soon as possible after the test results become available," said Dimzon. Respect the ban Dimzon said preliminary findings revealed that most of the crash victims had originally or initially gone to Dubai for other jobs but later found their way to Afghanistan. Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the ban on Afghanistan took effect after the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration recommended it on Dec. 17, 2007. The labor chief said the issuance of the ban was consistent with the provision of Section 5 of Republic Act No. 8042, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, which “authorizes the government ... when the public welfare so requires, to at any point impose a ban on the deployment of migrant workers." Aside from Afghanistan, OFWs are also forbidden to work in Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Nigeria. Despite the ban, many Filipino workers still end up employed at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, where US troops and allies are fighting militants. But Roque said workers should be aware of the risks of venturing into areas that have been declared off limits due to prevailing hazardous conditions. Become OWWA members In an interview with GMANews.TV, Dimzon said OWWA will not grant the family of the 10 workers any financial assistance as the OFWs were not active members of the agency. Under OWWA policies, only active members are entitled to their insurance and health care benefits. These benefits include P100,000 for natural death, P200,000 for accidental death, about P2,000 to P50,000 for disability and dismemberment, P100,000 for total disability, and P20,000 for burial. Dimzon said OFWs need to become members of OWWA so that they would be provided with a “safety net." “Registering as a member of OWWA will help ensure that, in times of uncertainty or distress, an overseas worker can look forward to official protection and assistance. So, the thing to do is to get yourself covered by our welfare and benefits system," she said. Despite the non-OWWA coverage of the 10 workers, Dimzon said the agency is helping in their repatriation of the victims' remains. Roque has also assured that the “utmost humanitarian assistance possible" will be extended to the bereaved families. AIM had also assured the families of the workers that their insurance and other benefits would be paid. - with reports from Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV