Show 16,000 job orders from Libya, Dole urged
MANILA, Philippines - An overseas Filipino workers' (OFWs) group in the Middle East on Monday challenged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to show job orders for the 16,000 job vacancies in Libya.
John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, made the challenge in a statement issued after Labor Secretary Marianito Roque's announcement about job openings in the north African country.
He said Roque’s job notice “is misinformation that would give false hopes to millions of unemployed Filipinos who are forced to look for jobs abroad as the Arroyo administration has failed to create decent jobs locally."
Monterona feared that the purported job openings in Qatar and Libya with 120,000 and 16,000 respectively, would be used by illegal recruiters to prey on unsuspecting job seekers.
He cited the case of the 137 OFWs duped to work as bus drivers in Dubai, but ended up begging for food there as the promised jobs were non-existent.
He said that there are job openings in the Middle East but they are not as many as DOLE and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration have reported.
He added that DOLE’s announcement of job openings in the Middle East is also misleading and would only invite illegal recruiters to victimize more jobseekers just the same.
Citing a report from Labor Attaché Nasser S. Mustafa, head of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Libya, Secretary Roque on Saturday announced that Africa's fourth largest country is in need of Filipino workers in the construction, hotel, medical, and other services sectors.
“Libya is impervious of the harsh effects of the global crisis due largely to its oil resources, noting that its government continuously focuses on this country’s development with vigor," Roque said in a statement.
He said that Korean firms like Daewoo, Hyundai, and Al Nahr have recently been recruiting thousands of OFWs for construction projects in Libya.
He said these firms are in need of Filipino engineers, other professionals, and skilled construction workers for the construction of Libya’s man-made river, hotels, power plants, housing units, and road and renovation projects.
Oil firms in Libya have also reportedly showed their intention to recruit professionals and skilled oil and gas workers from the Philippines.
Roque said Mustafa is constantly conducting meetings with these companies as well as with other firms in Libya who are in need of foreign workers – in the hopes of paving the way for the deployment of more Filipino workers to the African country.
Roque said he also expects that the construction of new hotels in Libya would mean more employment opportunities for OFWs in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
He said that more Filipino doctors and nurses and other medical workers may also be deployed soon to Libya.
The POLO in Tripoli, bya's capital, has already started talks with Health Ministry officials for the recruitment of around 4,000 Filipino medical workers for the Tripoli and Benghazi Medical Centers and other hospitals and clinics in Libya.
It is also reportedly looking for opportunities for OFWs in Algeria, Chad, Malta, and Morocco.
“The employment prospects in Libya and nearby nations are favorable for OFWs as they continue to be the preferred choice among foreign employers," Roque said in the press statement. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, made the challenge in a statement issued after Labor Secretary Marianito Roque's announcement about job openings in the north African country.
He said Roque’s job notice “is misinformation that would give false hopes to millions of unemployed Filipinos who are forced to look for jobs abroad as the Arroyo administration has failed to create decent jobs locally."
Monterona feared that the purported job openings in Qatar and Libya with 120,000 and 16,000 respectively, would be used by illegal recruiters to prey on unsuspecting job seekers.
He cited the case of the 137 OFWs duped to work as bus drivers in Dubai, but ended up begging for food there as the promised jobs were non-existent.
He said that there are job openings in the Middle East but they are not as many as DOLE and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration have reported.
He added that DOLE’s announcement of job openings in the Middle East is also misleading and would only invite illegal recruiters to victimize more jobseekers just the same.
Citing a report from Labor Attaché Nasser S. Mustafa, head of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Libya, Secretary Roque on Saturday announced that Africa's fourth largest country is in need of Filipino workers in the construction, hotel, medical, and other services sectors.
“Libya is impervious of the harsh effects of the global crisis due largely to its oil resources, noting that its government continuously focuses on this country’s development with vigor," Roque said in a statement.
He said that Korean firms like Daewoo, Hyundai, and Al Nahr have recently been recruiting thousands of OFWs for construction projects in Libya.
He said these firms are in need of Filipino engineers, other professionals, and skilled construction workers for the construction of Libya’s man-made river, hotels, power plants, housing units, and road and renovation projects.
Oil firms in Libya have also reportedly showed their intention to recruit professionals and skilled oil and gas workers from the Philippines.
Roque said Mustafa is constantly conducting meetings with these companies as well as with other firms in Libya who are in need of foreign workers – in the hopes of paving the way for the deployment of more Filipino workers to the African country.
Roque said he also expects that the construction of new hotels in Libya would mean more employment opportunities for OFWs in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
He said that more Filipino doctors and nurses and other medical workers may also be deployed soon to Libya.
The POLO in Tripoli, bya's capital, has already started talks with Health Ministry officials for the recruitment of around 4,000 Filipino medical workers for the Tripoli and Benghazi Medical Centers and other hospitals and clinics in Libya.
It is also reportedly looking for opportunities for OFWs in Algeria, Chad, Malta, and Morocco.
“The employment prospects in Libya and nearby nations are favorable for OFWs as they continue to be the preferred choice among foreign employers," Roque said in the press statement. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
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