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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