50 more 'abused' OFWs arrive from Lebanon

A third batch of 50 "abused" overseas Filipino workers returned home from Lebanon Tuesday morning. Radio dzBB reported the OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on a Qatar Airways flight. The OFWs had been staying in Lebanon but they asked to be brought home due to alleged abuses by their employers. Some of them even claimed they were duped by illegal recruiters. On Monday, two batches of OFWs arrived from Lebanon, and were met by Vice President Jejomar Binay and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. The Philippine government had banned the deployment of OFWs to Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, and Lebanon. But in 2009, the Philippine government considered lifting the deployment ban to Lebanon “given some progress in the conclusion of a bilateral labor cooperation agreement that will ensure the protection of the welfare of Filipino workers." — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV