Lifting of RP deployment bans depends on safety not job security - DFA
MANILA, Philippines - While various groups have been clamoring for the government to lift the deployment bans to five countries and take advantage of the job demands for Filipino workers there, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is quick to say ‘ not so fast.’
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Bayani Mangibin said the DFA cannot immediately lift the deployment bans to Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Jordan and Nigeria until the safety of the workers is assured.
“Safety of the workers comes first before the job security, that’s our primordial concern," Mangibin told GMANews.TV.
Emmanuel Geslani, a recruitement consultant, said the Philippines stands a chance of losing job opportunities in Iraq and Lebanon as the deployment ban stays.
Geslani said Filipino construction workers could benefit from the US-funded $80-billion infrastructure project in Iraq. He also said that the Filipino domestic helpers who opted to stay in Lebanon are now working as restaurant and hotel workers, proving that there is now preference for skilled workers in that country.
Vice President Noli de Castro proposed a selective ban on Iraq and Nigeria, seeking to lift travel and deployment restrictions in areas considered as centers of economic activities and where security situation have normalized.
Nigeria, an oil-producing African country, had been hiring Filipinos in various foreign-owned companies related to oil exploration. But the Philippines imposed a deployment ban to Nigeria following the kidnappings of several Filipino workers in the Niger delta.
As thousands of Filipino workers lost jobs overseas due to the economic crisis, recruitment agencies are looking into these countries as a source of employment.
But Mangibin cautioned recruiters to think first of the workers’ safety than job opportunities.
“Before they push for the lifting of the bans they should first analyze how those bans get lifted. It’s not that easy," he said. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Bayani Mangibin said the DFA cannot immediately lift the deployment bans to Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Jordan and Nigeria until the safety of the workers is assured.
“Safety of the workers comes first before the job security, that’s our primordial concern," Mangibin told GMANews.TV.
Emmanuel Geslani, a recruitement consultant, said the Philippines stands a chance of losing job opportunities in Iraq and Lebanon as the deployment ban stays.
Geslani said Filipino construction workers could benefit from the US-funded $80-billion infrastructure project in Iraq. He also said that the Filipino domestic helpers who opted to stay in Lebanon are now working as restaurant and hotel workers, proving that there is now preference for skilled workers in that country.
Vice President Noli de Castro proposed a selective ban on Iraq and Nigeria, seeking to lift travel and deployment restrictions in areas considered as centers of economic activities and where security situation have normalized.
Nigeria, an oil-producing African country, had been hiring Filipinos in various foreign-owned companies related to oil exploration. But the Philippines imposed a deployment ban to Nigeria following the kidnappings of several Filipino workers in the Niger delta.
As thousands of Filipino workers lost jobs overseas due to the economic crisis, recruitment agencies are looking into these countries as a source of employment.
But Mangibin cautioned recruiters to think first of the workers’ safety than job opportunities.
“Before they push for the lifting of the bans they should first analyze how those bans get lifted. It’s not that easy," he said. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV
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