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Some 10,000 Filipino workers are expected to leave
for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel in the coming weeks after the
processing of contracts resumed yesterday, the Labor department
said.
In a statement, acting Labor and Employment Secretary Manuel Imson
said the department is prepared to attend to the influx of overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for the three Middle East countries.
"We expect a big volume of workers to leave for the Middle East
after the 20-day ban. We are ready to serve and respond to their
needs and requirements," Mr. Imson said.
He noted that the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration
(POEA) is stepping up their operations for the processing of job
contracts and other travel documents of OFWs.
POEA is upbeat that the workers leaving for jobs in Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait and Israel will not encounter any problem in the processing
of the necessary documents, particularly that of overseas employment
certificates.
The labor official also advised Middle East-bound Filipino workers
to take the necessary steps in preparation for their overseas jobs.
"Workers ought to get in touch with their recruitment agencies to
ensure they have valid documents such as passports, visas, work
contracts, including airplane tickets, Mr. Imson added.
He further noted that the airline offices have committed to attend
to the OFWs leaving for the three Middle East countries. "We have
prompted airline offices to normalize their flight operations to
Middle East destinations as we wouldn't want workers to encounter
delays and difficulties in their travel to their travel to their
places of work," Mr. Imson said.
With the expected trooping of overseas-bound Filipino workers, Mr.
Imson warned recruitment agencies against imposing exorbitant fees.
He added that erring recruiters would face severe sanctions once
they are found guilty.
Also yesterday, the Labor department clarified that the deployment
ban of domestic helpers to Hong Kong is still in place. This was in
reaction to news reports that the POEA has resumed the processing of
contracts of household workers to the former British colony.
Last March 10, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the ban on
the deployment of domestic helpers to Hong Kong in protest of the
HK$400 wage cut. Last week, Ms. Arroyo said the ban would be
retained following reports that the severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) has spread in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, solons yesterday urged the president to ask the US
government for a "written guarantee" that OFWs would be employed in
the reconstruction of post-war Iraq.
Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee R. Marcos, vice-chair of the House committee
on foreign relations, said the president should make sure that the
Philippines' all-out support to the US-led attack against Baghdad
would redound to "benefits and profits" for Filipino workers.
"We should make sure that we'll get something out of our support to
the US. Let's not put our future to hopes for Washington's declared
generosity. The track record of the US, and especially President
George W. Bush, in keeping promises to allies of its war is not so
good," Ms. Marcos said in a statement.
For his part, Bayan-Muna party-list Rep. Crispin B. Beltran said any
benefit that the Philippines would get from post-war Iraq would be
very "shameless" since the Arroyo government supported Baghdad's
destruction in the first place.
"The member-governments of the coalition of the willing including
the Philippines should have not supported the US war in the first
place," Mr. Beltran said. He added that the Mrs. Arroyo's plan to
send a 500-member humanitarian mission task force is "hypocritical."
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