Review of deployment ban sought as Bahrain situation calms down

Citing the improving situation in Bahrain, an overseas Filipino worker advocacy group urged the government to review its ban on the deployment of Filipinos there. Migrante Middle East said Nepal and Sri Lanka had already lifted their respective deployment bans on workers to Bahrain. “The lifting of [deployment] ban by the Nepalese and Sri Lankan governments have been made on the basis of the recent peace-and-order situation assessment in Bahrain, which is relatively peaceful now and did not anymore pose a great risks on their nationals to travel in Bahrain as compared to last [month's] situation," Migrante Middle East coordinator John Monterona said in an entry on the group's blog site. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs raised the alert level in Bahrain to "2" last March. Under Alert Level 2, Filipinos in Bahrain were advised to:

• Remain calm.
• Actively monitor ongoing developments.
• Keep communications lines open with the Embassy and with designated community coordinators.
• Inform the Embassy or Filipino community coordinators of their whereabouts.
• Refrain from going outdoors.
• Stock at least a two-week supply of food and water. Prepare needed medicines, flashlights, candles, mobile phones, and radios.
• Make sure that important documents such as passports and driver's licenses are readily available.
• Be sensitive to local culture, customs and traditions, and religious beliefs in Bahrain. Avoid making comments or actions that may be considered politically sensitive.

But Monterona said it may be prudent for the Philippines to follow the cue of most governments sending workers to Bahrain, which he said appeared to have reassessed the situation there. “If other labor-sending governments have already lifted their self-imposed travel ban on its working nationals in Bahrain, then it would be prudent on the part of the (Philippine) government to reassess the current alert level 2, downgrade it, and thereby allow our OFWs, returning and new hire, to travel to Bahrain," he said. Last April 22, Migrante-Middle East and OFWs' groups initiated an online signature campaign based on the request from returning OFWs and new hires, seeking a reassessment of the alert level there. As of April 24, the online petition had gathered 114 signatures. “Aside from securing our workers’ safety, the government has the obligation to ensure that there are enough jobs to employ mass of workers but since it could not create decent jobs amid grinding poverty, Filipino workers are forced to look for overseas jobs," Monterona said. — LBG, GMA News