OFWs ask PHL govt to remove deadline for working in Afghanistan

A group of Filipino workers in Afghanistan has appealed to the Philippine government to remove the deadline that prohibits them to work in the strife-torn state after Dec. 31, 2011, in compliance with a US military order. The Filipinos in Afghanistan (FIA) with 5,000 members employed in and out of US military bases feared losing their jobs as the deadline nears for the expulsion of foreign workers from countries that impose a travel ban to the strife-torn state. “Working in Afghanistan was our choice," said FIA spokesman Carlo Echano, who is presently in Manila lobbying for the extension of Filipinos’ stay in the Afghanistan. Echano pointed out that many opportunities that would improve their standard of living are available in Afghanistan. “We were able to fulfill our dreams, put a roof over our heads, [and] send our children to good schools," he said. In 2010, the US Central Command ordered all contractors not to hire third-country nationals, whose domestic laws prohibit their citizens from traveling and working in Afghanistan. This prohibition clearly applies to nationals from the Philippines, which continues to maintain a travel ban to Afghanistan due the uneven security situation there. Contractors who violate this order will no longer be allowed to participate in US biddings for projects in Afghanistan. The US is also enforcing the same policy in Iraq. FIA said that each month, a number of Filipinos are being terminated as international contractors in American military bases are replacing them with other nationalities. Other Filipinos are already receiving termination notices informing them that they only have a few months remaining to finish their work contracts, Echano said. The US military allowed the Filipinos to work until Dec. 31, 2011 after the Philippine embassy in Pakistan sent an appeal letter to all US and international contractors to at least permit them to remain and finish their contracts until the end of the year. — JE, GMA News