OFW ban in five countries stays

Vice President and Presidential Adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Noli de Castro said yesterday the Philippine government’s ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Jordan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Iraq and Lebanon stays.

De Castro reiterated that the ban in five countries stands, following the arrival in Manila last Friday night of 87 Filipino workers illegally recruited to Beirut.

“Please do not fall for those who offer jobs in Lebanon. Do not be a victim of these unscrupulous individuals,” De Castro said in his weekly radio program Para Sa Iyo Bayan.

Philippine Ambassador to Beirut Gilberto Asuque sought the assistance of the Vice President due to the increase in the number of OFWs being illegally deployed to Beirut.

De Castro immediately responded by tracking down recruiters illegally deploying Filipinos to Beirut.

The Filipino workers who arrived recently reportedly suffered abuse at the hands of their Lebanese employers.

De Castro directed the Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (TFAIR), which he also heads, to go after recruiters victimizing OFWs and asked for full cooperation of victims.

“We hope the victims of illegal recruitment will fully cooperate and help us in prosecuting these unconscionable individuals,” he said.

He added that Filipinos wanting to work abroad should first check with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to see if the recruiting agency or the people they are dealing with have legal authority to recruit workers. – Pia Lee Brago, Philippine Star