Buck sex before trip, Pinays eyeing jobs abroad told

Filipino woman overseas workers about to be deployed to the Middle East are being discouraged from sexual activity at least two months prior to their departure as they could be sent home upon arrival if found to be pregnant.

In a meeting of employment agencies sending Filipino workers to the Middle East, Dr. Rodolfo De Guzman, president of the Gulf Countries Accredited Medical Clinics Association Center (Gamca), said cases of repatriated women OFWs top the list of deported workers due to illness, diseases and pregnancies.

Most of the time, employers in the Middle East would send back a worker if found pregnant or ill.

Punzalan advised recruiters to “take all necessary precautions and give warnings to the female workers to be celibate for two months and sacrifice romantic interludes with their husbands or boyfriends for the meantime” as any sexual activity may result in unwanted pregnancies especially during the fertile period.

“If sexual activity cannot be restrained then safe sex should be practiced with the use of condoms or during the infertile or safe periods. This is no guarantee of course, however, the chances of pregnancies is diminished with the use of condom,” Punzalan said.

He said the rising number of causes of female workers being sent home is a cause for alarm for the Gamca clinics since they are being fined by the Gulf Coordinating Council Health Ministries of $2,000 for every repatriated OFW due to negligence on their part in the workers’ medical examinations.

Punzalan said in all cases of pregnant Filipino workers who have been forced to return to the Philippines, they investigate the worker and the agency involved thoroughly to ferret out the truth on when and where did the worker had any sexual activity before departure.

According to the doctors present in the meeting, pregnancies cannot be detected by mere blood or urine tests one or two days before departure so every precaution, such as a pre-departure exam, must be given to the departing female workers.

He said pregnancy only becomes a reality within five weeks where physical and emotional signs arise.

“The final word is, please control yourself or return to the Philippines pregnant dashing your hopes and dreams to work abroad and uplift your family with your sweat and tears. But before you can do that, just remember to be celibate just before leaving so you reap the benefits of your work abroad,” Punzalan said, in apparent address to the concerned women workers. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune