6,000 OFWs to continue work in Afghanistan

FILIPINOS working inside the United States military bases in Afghanistan are allowed to continue their contracts after the High Level Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs decided to adopt the Iraq solution for some 6,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the high-risk country.

The workers will be able to finish their job contracts despite the existing memorandum from the US Central Command that prohibits contractors from employing third-world country nationals (TCNs) whose domestic laws prohibit them from working in the war-torn countries of Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to Emmanuel Geslani, recruitment consultant and immigration expert, the high level committee composed of senior officials from the Foreign Affairs department “has instructed the Philippine embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan to send a letter to the US Military Central Command giving the Philippine’s permission for TCNs Filipinos to continue their work inside the bases until the expiry of their contracts.”

The committee also acted on the recommendation of the assessment team headed by retired General Roy Cimatu, presidential adviser on the Middle East preparedness team and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ricardo Endaya.

Cimatu and Endaya were on a 10-day mission to Afghanistan from January 28 to February 5 this year to evaluate the welfare and safety of Filipino workers there.

“It now remains to be seen whether this decision can be extended to Filipinos working outside the bases in infrastructure and development projects extended to Afghanistan by the US [Agency for International Development], UN [United Nations] Relief Missions and 50 other international [nongovernment organizations] in and outside of Kabul,” Geslani said.

Lobbying
Earlier, various groups raised concerns of the possibility that Filipinos would lose about 6,000 good-paying jobs in Afghanistan. The US Central Command last month reiterated to its US contractors that they should immediately repatriate third-world country nationals who are not legally allowed to work in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan.

But Geslani said that OFWs in Kabul, as well as in Baghdad, vowed to continue lobbying for the lifting of the deployment ban in the country especially for those working outside the US military bases.

The committee’s proposal only covered those working in the US bases and not outside.

“We will continue our prayers and lobbying for the rest of us,” one OFW’s letter to Geslani said.

Another noted that Endaya has promised the workers there that the committee will also continue to push for “additional changes.” The high level committee also said “that they will come up with a decision on those people outside of the bases after more consultations.”

“So to some extent, the work is just half done,” the OFW wrote.

Since 2007, a total travel and work ban has been imposed to Afghanistan because of continuing security concerns in the country, citing numerous attacks by the Taliban and several bomb attacks directed towards UN forces.

But Filipinos in Afghanistan—an organization of more than 1,000 OFWs working in high-level and supervisory positions with international agencies and skilled workers from 64 United States bases all over Afghanistan—urged President Benigno Aquino 3rd and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to lift the deployment ban and “allow more OFWs to be employed gainfully amidst the safe and secure conditions in US bases.”

But the department continually said that it could not lift the ban because they cannot assure the safety and security of Filipino workers in the countries. –BERNICE CAMILLE V. BAUZON REPORTER, Manila Times

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