Over 5,000 undocumented Pinoys working in Afghanistan

MANILA, Philippines - Over 5,000 undocumented Filipino workers are now working in war-torn Afghanistan and the number is still growing, local recruiters reported yesterday.

Filipino workers continue to sneak into Afghanistan, defying the deployment ban imposed by the government on those who want to work there, recruitment leaders said.

A majority of the illegally deployed Filipino workers are currently employed in American military facilities.

Recruiters said one OFW himself said he and several others have been traveling back and forth the Philippines and Afghanistan, even with the prevailing deployment ban.

The OFW, a mechanic in Kabul, said he returns to the country every six months and then goes back to Afghanistan with his American employers paying for his plane fare.

The worker claimed that OFWs in Afghanistan are recruited mostly in Pampanga and Olongapo. A majority of them are children of former employees of the Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Force Base and are familiar with the operation of American bases.

Many of the OFWs in Afghanistan are employed as country managers or directors, project team leaders, lead engineers, project managers, and department heads and they receive monthly salaries ranging from $1,200 to $3,000.

The Philippine government imposed a deployment ban to Afghanistan in 2007 due to hostilities in the area.

The US has increased its troops in Afghanistan to 94,000 recently and expects to add more troops by yearend. It intends to end its presence in the country by July 2011.

Review sought

Meantime, President Aquino has ordered a review of the local recruitment industry to determine its part in resolving the country’s unemployment problem.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the President has also directed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to make a thorough review of Philippine recruitment agencies (PRA).

“The President wants a review of the recruitment industry to see if it is really helping in generating jobs for Filipinos or if the Filipino workers’ rights are being protected while working overseas,” Baldoz said in an interview.

Baldoz said the President particularly wants a review of deployment to “high and medium” risk areas as well as the so-called high-risk occupations, including domestic helpers.

About a million Filipino workers are getting hired in various countries abroad annually, but Baldoz said the country has also recorded cases of abuse against Filipino workers.

Baldoz further said that Mr. Aquino hopes to promote local employment to provide Filipino workers the option whether to stay in the country or work overseas.

Based on data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), more than 2,000 highly skilled Filipino workers leave the country daily to work abroad.