Cayman Islands execs baffled by PHL deployment ban

Officials in the Cayman Islands in the Carribean Sea — both Filipino representatives and local government officers — expressed their surprise on why the territory was included in the Philippine government's list of 41 countries where the deployment of overseas Filipino workers was banned. According to a report of the cayCompass.com on Friday, the Cayman Island's local government’s Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs were trying to go through diplomatic channels to determine why OFWs were banned from Cayman. Aside from Cayman, the other countries on the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration's (POEA) list included Afghanistan, Cambodia, Croatia, Cuba, North Korea, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, and Lebanon, among others. The POEA's Compendium of OFW Statistics in 2010 said there are over 900 Filipinos working in the Cayman Islands. The report of cayCompass.com quoted Arturo Ursua, the Honorary [unofficial] consul for the Philippines in the Cayman Islands, as saying, “All I can think of is that the person who made the negative recommendation did not perform a proper research on the Cayman Islands, which led to this burning issue." “While the Cayman Islands Labour Law may not be specific about migrant workers, the law is protecting the workers, as well as the employers," 
Ursua said in the report. The report explained that Cayman’s Labor Law sets strict guidelines on the number of hours a worker can be employed per week (45) before receiving some overtime payment. Their law only allows a worker to forego extra pay if they agree to do so. "However, there have been cases brought before the Labour Tribunal in recent years that involved accusations that employers were forcing their workers to sign those declarations," the report said. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) released two board resolutions on Wednesday — one that approves OFW deployment to 49 countries and another that bans OFWs from 41 nations. The countries were classified according to Republic Act 10022, or the amended Migrant Workers Act. Palace defends POEA resolutions On Thursday, Malacañang Palace on defended the deployment ban in 41 countries, saying it was the Philippine government’s duty to ensure the safety of Filipinos wherever they may be. In a statement issued by the Office of Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, the Palace assured the public that only a minimal number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would be affected by the deployment ban. The Palace said the ban does not cover international companies that operate in the 41 countries. Concerns of various groups However, several organizations, including the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, expressed their concern about the new resolution. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario on Thursday urged Labor officials to delay the implementation of an unprecedented ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to 41 countries. DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said Del Rosario “wanted the effectivity of the ban delayed" to give Philippine diplomats time to dialogue with the affected countries to prevent any backlash. Del Rosario said the dialogues will be for "the benefit of Filipino workers already there and those planning to seek gainful employment in those countries." A labor advocacy group said the Philippine government's decision to ban the deployment of overseas Filipino workers in 41 nations could harm its relations with those countries. The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-government organization focused on labor and migration issues, said the Philippine government should brace itself for adverse reactions from any of the 41 countries cited as unsuitable for Filipino workers. Meanwhile, members of the migrant group Migrante International said they are having “mixed feelings" about the matter. In a statement, Migrante International chairperson Garry Martinez raised a number of concerns about the ban, even though they see it as “a positive development" from the government, which “seems to be taking serious action" to protect the OFWs. “I could reasonably say that our fears and worries outweigh any other positive feelings we may have now," Martinez said. He said they are worried that the ban would only result in “more cases of human trafficking and illegal recruitment." - VVP, GMA News