News Release
Department of Labor and Employment
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
1 March 2013
POEA allows deployment of OFWs to Iraq, 2 other
countries
Labor and
Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday announced that the
Governing Board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, which she
chairs,
has lifted the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to
Iraq, Yemen, and
Eretria and will now allow OFWs who would like to work in
these countries to leave.
"The
POEA Governing Board has issued three separate resolutions allowing the deployment
of Filipino workers to Iraq, Yemen, and Eretria. The Department of Foreign Affairs
has included
Iraq in the list of compliant countries under Republic Act 10022, effectively
lifting the five-year
old ban to the said country," Baldoz said in a press
statement.
Baldoz
said that in its official communication dated 4 February 2013, the Philippine Embassy
in
Baghdad has certified Iraq as compliant with the guarantees of the law.
The DFA,
in its letter dated 06 February 2013, haslowered the Crisis Alert Level in Iraq to
Alert
Level 1 (Precautionary Phase), withmandatory travel restriction to
"no-go" zones
to be determined by the host country.
"However,
the processing and deployment of new hires, except HSWs, shall resume upon
the
conclusion of a Bilateral Labor Agreement with Iraq and the identification of the
restricted
zones," she said.
She
added: " I have instructed POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac to fast
track the
guidelines on the resumption of deployment of OFWs to Iraq."
guidelines on the resumption of deployment of OFWs to Iraq."
Citing
unstable peace and order situation, the same Board suspended the processing and
deployment of all workers bound for Iraq on 17 December 2007.
deployment of all workers bound for Iraq on 17 December 2007.
In
another resolution, the POEA Board has allowed the deployment of newly-hired
and returning
OFWs bound for Yemen with the lowering of the DFA issued Alert
Level in Yemen from Alert
Level 2 to Alert Level 1 on 29 January 2013.
In
February 2011, the POEA has deferred the processing and deployment of all OFWs bound
for Yemen in view of the unstable political and security conditions in that
country.
On the
basis of the certification by the DFA dated 21 December 2012, the POEA Board has
also included Eritrea in the list of countries compliant with the requirements of RA 10020 where
the continued deployment of OFWs shall be allowed.
also included Eritrea in the list of countries compliant with the requirements of RA 10020 where
the continued deployment of OFWs shall be allowed.
With the
addition of Iraq and Eritrea, 189 countries and territories are now certified
as compliant
with the guarantees on the protection of the rights of foreign
workers provided under Section 3
of RA 10022.
END
SOURCE : POEA
