The
Philippine government has identified 41 countries that do not have enough
safety and legal guarantees for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), prompting
Manila to put them on a blacklist, according to Labor Secretary Rosalinda
Baldoz.
Baldoz said in a statement Tuesday that the
governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) had
approved a resolution identifying the 41 countries where OFWs could not be
deployed because the states did not comply with safety requirements under the
Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act.
The POEA board also issued another resolution
naming 49 countries where OFWs can be deployed. This is in addition to the 76
countries it has earlier identified as safe for Filipinos workers.
"The governing board has thoroughly
discussed and considered the (Department of Foreign Affairs) certifications
and, in accordance with the law, issued the resolutions," Baldoz said.
Baldoz said that countries declared
noncompliant could initiate negotiations and conclude bilateral agreements to
comply with the Migrant Workers Act’s requirements.
She also pointed out that Filipinos could
still work for companies and contractors with international operations in
noncompliant countries, "unless there is an existing ban to that
country."
POEA administrator Carlos Cao Jr. said his
office would officially release the list of countries where OFWs could not go
when government offices reopened today after the long All Saints’ Day break.
"There were 41 countries that were
declared noncompliant but these are small countries and not major (labor)
markets (for OFWs)," Cao said.
He said that there were also "around 30
countries" that were categorized under "qualified compliance."
"This means that we can deploy OFWs to
some of their job markets but not to others, like those for household service
workers," Cao said.
The POEA will publish the resolutions in two
newspapers of general circulation. They will take effect 15 days after the
publication.
Philip C. Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
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