POEA eyes Asian destinations for OFWs

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is eyeing Asian countries as the top destination for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) this year.

At a media forum, POEA administrator Jennifer Manalili said that the POEA is anticipating an increase in the deployment of OFWs in the Middle East, where it expects a boom in infrastructure projects.

“Of course we are looking at the Middle East still because of a lot of projects that are still ongoing there. Development plans extend beyond 2020. So we expect the construction boom that we are experiencing this year will continue on,” Manalili said.

She also said that the POEA is anticipating the surge in the demand of Filipino medical practitioners after the completion of large state of the art hospitals in Middle East cities like Abu Dhabi next year up to 2012.

“We are continuously experiencing a good year for recruitment of health professionals in the Middle East. Not just nurse but medical technologists, emergency medical workers, allied medical work,” Manalili said.

She also cited Guam as another prospect for OFWs, who are interested to work abroad, after the start of the postponed transfer of the United States military base in Okinawa, Japan to the said area.

Labor and Employment Undersecretary Danilo Cruz also said that the move was earlier delayed by economic problems and political issues in the US.

But he said the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) expects the start of the construction boom in Guam during the third quarter of next year, which will increase its demand for foreign engineers, architects, carpenters, welders, and other skilled construction professions. –SAMUEL P. MEDENILLA, Manila Bulletin