Gov’t gears for repatriation of OFWs from Yemen

MANILA, Philippines - The government is getting ready for the possible repatriation of Filipinos from war-torn Yemen.

However, Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said yesterday the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has no plan yet for the possible mass repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from that country.

“We are awaiting the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)’s request and if necessary we are ready to assist in the repatriation,” she said.

Baldoz said recruitment agencies deploying Filipino workers to that country have been directed to prepare for repatriation.

“The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) already met with the recruitment agencies to discuss the possibility of them shouldering the cost of repatriation of the workers they deployed to Yemen,” Baldoz said.

The law requires recruitment agencies to handle the cost of repatriating workers facing a crisis, she added.

The DOLE has chosen the labor official to deploy in case the DFA opts to mobilize a Quick Response Team to Yemen, she added.

Baldoz said  the government has not received any request from OFWs in Yemen to be repatriated.

“But we are appealing to them and their families to encourage their loved ones in Yemen to avail of the government’s mandatory repatriation,” she said.

Baldoz said the POEA had imposed a total ban in the deployment of OFWs to Yemen last February.

Majority of the OFWs in Yemen are skilled workers reluctant to leave their jobs, she added.