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[av_heading heading=’Qatar OFW deployment ban: DOLE pressured to find contingencies’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Friday, June 9, 2017
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MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was getting pressured to come up with plans for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the suspension of worker deployment to Qatar.
Sen. Joel Villanueva told the Labor department to prepare for a “worst-case scenario.”
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, and Libya cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and accused it of supporting extremism.
As a result, the Philippine Labor department temporarily suspended the deployment of OFWs to the kingdom.
“We urge the DOLE to prepare its contingency plan for our workers who will be affected by the deployment ban,” said Villanueva. “In the same way, we advise the Labor department to be ready as well for the worst-case scenario should there be a need to repatriate our OFWs from Qatar.”
Qatar has the fourth largest population of Filipinos in the Middle East, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Filipinos working and living in Qatar number 260,000, data from the Philippine Business Council in Qatar showed.
Meanwhile Sen. Nancy Binay urged the government to “take a calm and sober approach” in addressing the needs of migrant workers potentially affected by the Qatar crisis.
“The move to abruptly suspend the deployment of Filipino workers to Qatar may have been premature considering that we have heard no complaints so far from the OFWs who are based there,” said Binay.
If Binay were to be believed, the deployment suspension lacked coordination and consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“I would like to know whether the DFA concurs with the suspension order because this is a diplomatic row involving several countries all of whom are longtime allies and friends of the Philippines,” the senator said.
The DOLE and the DFA should map out a “unified plan” to help the affected OFWs, she added.
According to Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III, the deployment ban will allow the agency to “assess the situation because there are so many wild rumors going around, and things are not going well in Qatar.”
Qatar is the fourth top destination of OFWs in Middle East, Villanueva said, and an estimated 260,000 Filipinos live and work in Qatar as of January, according to Qatar-based journalist Priya Dsouza.
The Philippine Embassy in Qatar should maintain an open line of communication with OFWs and their employers, said Villanueva, chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development.
“In light of recent events, we advise our OFWs in Qatar and other affected countries not to panic and be vigilant in the face of the ongoing acts of terrorism in several parts of the world,” the senator said./PN
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