DoLE recalls order on partial lifting of ban

The labor department recalled on Monday the order partially lifting the ban in the deployment of Filipino workers to Nigeria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan “in light of expressed concerns on the security/ peace and order situation" in those countries as well as in Iraq. “Under this situation, the complete ban on Iraq, Lebanon and Nigeria remains," Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said in an advisory posted at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) website Monday night. “While we previously allowed the deployment of new hires and returning workers to international organizations in Afghanistan, the Department of Foreign Affairs will not issue any 'no objection' certificate for Afghanistan; hence there is also an effective complete ban," the advisory said. Brion signed on Nov 15 Department Order 86-07, allowing the deployment to Afghanistan of Filipinos employed by coalition forces and international groups such as the United Nations, Red Cross, International Organization for Migration, and Red Crescent, among others. Under the same directive, those returning to their previous employment and new hires whose principal or employers are accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) may be allowed to leave for Nigeria OFWs hired and employed by companies in the oil-rich Niger Delta in Nigeria would have to secure clearance from Brion before they could be deployed, the order prescribed. It further said sending of newly hired OFWs would be treated on a case-by-case basis, which will be determined by the labor secretary and subject to terms and conditions he may impose. The terms and conditions in the new DOLE order include: “the nature of the principals’ business and work locations, long established reputation and track record in hiring OFWs in their global operations, the risk involved, the security measures the principals has put in place and terms and conditions of employment." Those allowed under the order to enter Lebanon are household service workers (HSW) returning to their previous employers who hired them under the new policy reforms for HSWs, as well as newly hired HSWs employed by heads of states, ministers, deputy ministers and other government officials of equal ranks, and members of the diplomatic corp., as well as the United Nations and other international organizations. The deployment ban to Iraq remained despite reports of illegal entries through Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar. But even before the POEA could issue the appropriate guidelines for the modified ban, Brion recalled the order altogether. The DOLE imposed the ban to Iraq following the abduction of truck driver Angelo dela Cruz in 2004. The deployment ban to Lebanon was imposed after the war with the Israel broke out. As a consequence of the kidnapping of 24 Filipino seamen in the Niger Delta in January this year, the government stopped the deployment of Filipino workers to Nigeria. Restricted market In recent weeks, GMANews.TV has been receiving numerous appeals from Filipino workers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Nigeria for the lifting of the ban so they could come home to visit their families this Christmas season. We have also received letters from recruits to Afghanistan who had gone through the required training in the Untied States in August but were sent back to the Philippines following directives of a strict observance of the ban. Although there has been no absolute ban in the deployment of Filipinos to Afghanistan, the country has been classified as a "restricted market" since 2004 because of unstable peace. Under the terms, Filipinos going to Afghanistan are required to secure clearance from the Department of Foreign Affairs. Filipino workers in Afghanistan have been appealing to Philippine government authorities to remove the travel restriction to Afghanistan, saying the policy is “unfair" and “cruel." “The ban is unfair to us," according to a group who banded together as “Filipinos in Afghanistan" who sent a letter dated Nov. 2 to Vice President Manuel “Noli" De Castro, also presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers. “It is particularly cruel to impose this ban at this time of the year when Filipinos are going home to spend Christmas holidays with their families. It is supposed to be the time of cheer. But with this ban, it will be a time of pain and despair," they pointed out. “It is true that Afghanistan, being a post-conflict country, has residual security problems but the conditions here are not as bad as the situation in countries like Timor Leste, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Israel where there is no ban on deployment of OFWs," the letter said. “We would rather choose to live and work in a dangerous country where we have employment and be able to put food on our table, provide shelter and clothing and send our children to school. The Philippine government does not have the right to take away our jobs from us if it is not able to provide these for us," continued the letter, a copy of which was furnished to GMANews.TV. Afghanistan is a landlocked country located in the heart of Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and, China in the far northeast. “Many of the Filipinos in Afghanistan are currently occupying senior positions in international development (World Bank, United Nations Development Fund, United States Agency for International Development, Asian Development Bank, Adam Smith), humanitarian (international non-governmental organizations), reconstruction (engineering, architectural design and telecommunications firms), and office/camp management (security office/camp supplies and catering services) organizations," the FIA said. The Filipinos said many of them have experiences in post-conflict countries such as Iraq, Angola, Bosnia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Strange “We chose to work here in our search for better job opportunities that are not available in our country," the letter continued. “We do not understand the rhyme or reason for this deployment ban to Afghanistan," the letter said. “We feel like we are being played at and sacrificed for our Philippine government’s deficiencies somewhere." “We thought we are being hailed by the nation as modern-day heroes, but are we really?" they asked. Keeping the deployment ban for long, they said, would mean losing “good paying jobs" being held by over a thousand Filipinos in Afghanistan. “From an economically productive life, we and our families become an addition to the statistics of an already high poverty rate in the Philippines," they said. The FIA considers it strange that the Philippines is the only country that bans the sending of its citizens to work in Afghanistan. “The ban is a simplistic solution to the problem of security. The Philippine government should seek to work closely with the Filipino communities in other countries and strengthen these communities instead of making unilateral decisions that have adverse effects on the economic independence of these Filipinos," the group suggested.- GMANews.TV