POEA partially lifts ban on OFW deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan

Philippine labor officials on Tuesday partially lifted the ban on deployment of overseas Filipino workers to war-torn countries Iraq and Afghanistan. The Department of Labor and Employment said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board issued a resolution to the effect following a meeting last September 2. “The Board has already directed the POEA to issue an advisory for the information and guidance of all concerned on the matter," Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a news release posted on the government portal Tuesday night. Approving the resolution were board members Leonardo de Ocampo, Guillermina Gabor, POEA Administrator Carlos Cao Jr., and Baldoz. Baldoz, who chairs the POEA Governing Board, said the partial lifting is contained in Resolution No. 5, Series of 2011. She said this was issued upon the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Under the resolution, the POEA now allows those with existing contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan and those working inside American military camps and facilities there to finish their contracts. These contracts can also be extended or renewed onsite, the DOLE news release said. "Should these OFWs go home to the Philippines before its expiration, they shall also be allowed to be redeployed to finish their contracts," it added. In 2007, the POEA Governing Board suspended the processing and deployment of all workers bound for Iraq and Afghanistan because of the unstable situation there. — KBK, GMA News