More Pinoys in UAE want Christmas in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — More overseas Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) want to come home for the Christmas holiday, according to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).

Dubai-based labor attaché John Rio Bautista said OFWs are encouraged to return for Christmas vacation, following the inclusion of the UAE in “green list” countries.

Those in the green list are countries and territories the government sees safe to visit or go to.

Bautista said the POLO processes daily documents of an average 200 OFWs who will go back to the Philippines.

“On a daily basis, we process 200 contract verifications, aside from the Balik Manggagawa or those who will come back to the same employer. They do not need to go personally to the POLO for contract verification. They only need to visit the POEA online portal,” he said.

Bautista also reported that employment opportunities are now bright for OFWs in the UAE.

He said over 600 OFWs formerly employed by Dubai duty-free shops will be rehired by the company.

“During the pandemic, Dubai Duty-Free laid off some workers. But with the revival of the economy here, the management reached out to us and we have special facilitation for them. More than 600 Filipino workers will be coming back and their salary is competitive. Every week we process not less than 100 contracts for OFWs who will be rehired,” Bautista said in a virtual briefing over the weekend.

He said employers in the health sector have also expressed interest to hire Filipino health professionals.

Since April, over 8,000 job orders for household service workers have been verified by the POLO. About 7,000 HSWs have already arrived in Dubai, the overseas labor office said.