The
Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will review the status of the
41 countries where the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would be
banned.
The DFA move came after the Philippine
Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said on Tuesday that it was
considering deferring for three months the deployment ban on 41 countries
earlier certified as unsafe for OFWs.
According to the POEA, its governing board was
considering deferring the ban, which is to take effect on November 17, after
the DFA formally asked for its postponement.
"We will use the deferment period to
revisit the 41 countries with the view of moving forward toward compliance with
the amended Migrant Workers Act (Republic Act No. 10022)," said DFA
spokesperson Raul Hernandez in a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
RA 10022, or the Amended Migrant Workers Act,
forbids the deployment of OFWs to countries certified as not protective of
migrant workers.
Survey
"We will submit new certifications after
90 days, taking into account results of DFA’s dialogue with countries concerned
and new developments in those countries with respect to protection of migrant
workers," Hernandez said.
Philippine embassies will conduct a survey to
determine if the rights of migrant workers are protected in countries under
their jurisdiction.
The DFA will then issue a certification that
the host country meets the criteria set by law for the deployment of OFWs.
The DFA asked the POEA to defer the deployment
ban to avoid straining diplomatic relations with the 41 countries.
Earlier, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a
nonprofit organisation focused on labour and migration issues, said the DFA’s
decision would alleviate the concerns of OFWs in these countries.
The center said the concerned government
agencies could use the deferment period "to sit down and thresh out"
more amenable ways to protects OFWs.
Workers happy
Migrant workers groups on Wednesday welcomed
the DFA decision to withdraw its certifications for 41 countries found
inadequately protecting Filipino labourers.
The certifications from the DFA were used by
the POEA as basis for the labour deployment ban on the 41 countries.
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center said the DFA’s
decision was timely, adding that the group had been receiving e-mails and
Facebook messages from concerned workers who have already made travel and
vacation plans for December.
Recruiters were also happy with the DFA
decision, according to Emmanuel Geslani, a consultant of several Manila-based
recruitment agencies.
"The recruitment sector welcomes the
prudent decision of the DFA to listen to the public clamor of withdrawing the
certifications that would have led to serious diplomatic repercussions with
countries named noncompliant," Geslani said.
POEA Administrator Carlos Cao told reporters
on Wednesday he still had to receive a formal notification from the DFA
regarding the withdrawal of the certifications.
Valenzuela City Representative Rex Gatchalian
described the DFA decision as a wise move.
"The move showed that the agency was
willing to rectify an obviously flawed recommendation judging from the negative
reactions it received not only from the affected OFWs but also from the
stakeholders and industry players," said Gatchalian. With a report from
Cynthia D. Balana
Jerome Aning, Tina G. Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment