Call to lift deployment ban in Middle East bucked

MANILA, Philippines — Lifting the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers in some Middle East countries is unwise, a labor official said over the weekend.

Philippine labor attaché to Lebanon Alejandro Padaen said the situation in destination countries must be carefully studied before any change in policy could be enforced.

“Considering the economic aspect, it may not be the right time yet to deploy new hires in Lebanon. Several companies shut down and we have not been deploying household service workers (HSWs) since 2007,” Padaen said at a virtual press briefing.

Newly appointed Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Abdullah Mama-o is pushing for the lifting of the suspension on the deployment of HSWs to Saudi Arabia and other countries, including Libya and Iraq.

In the case of Lebanon, Padaen said the country has not yet recovered from political and economic turmoil and has yet to come up with agreement on a standard contract, especially those covering domestic workers.

“Returning workers that we process are those who have relatives in Lebanon and have come through informal channels. It will be better if we assess first and study the situation before we start deploying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) again,” Padaen said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs raised the Alert Level in Lebanon from 1 (precautionary phase) to 2 (restriction phase) in December 2020. Only OFWs with existing employment contracts and are registered under the “Balik Manggagawa” program are allowed to return to Lebanon.

Pending an agreement between the Philippine and Lebanese governments, Padaen proposed the finalization of the Standard Employment Contract for Domestic Workers.

As of June 2021, there were around 19,000 Filipinos in Lebanon. But the number may be lower now due to ongoing repatriation efforts.

Padaen said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) continues to process job orders in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Northern Cyprus and Turkey.

He said there is a demand for domestic helpers in Turkey. The POLO has accredited 11 foreign recruitment agencies for deployment of Filipino workers. The salary of an HSW is at $800 per month, which is almost double the salary of those in other countries.