RP workers to lose jobs in Afghanistan

MANILA, Philippines—More than 6,000 Filipino workers in Afghanistan face repatriation by the end of the year after the United States Central Command (Centcom) ordered the termination of all foreign workers whose domestic laws prohibit them from traveling to or working in Afghanistan.

In a September 17 memorandum order signed by Brigadier General Camille Nichols, head of the US Centcom Contracting Command, all contractors were advised to remove all third-country nationals (TCNs) from the job sites upon the termination of their contracts this year and to repatriate the workers to their country of origin.

Most of the Filipinos working in Afghanistan are employed in bases, camps, and other military facilities maintained by US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization military forces.

Aside from its ban to Iraq, the Philippines also bans the deployment of workers to Afghanistan, where there is a great deal of unrest.

A similar order was made in US military facilities in Iraq. But the Philippines, after an assessment made by former general Roy Cimatu, allowed Filipino workers to end their work contracts, preventing a massive repatriation. –Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer