Syrian employers keen on holding Pinoy workers despite unrest

Philippine officials may have a hard time convincing Syrian employers to let go of their Filipino domestic helpers in Syria despite a standing government policy to repatriate Filipinos in the troubled Middle East state, Manila’s top diplomat there conceded yesterday.

Ambassador Wilfredo Cuyugan said most employers treat the security situation in Syria as an “isolated case” and bemoan the fact that they paid a certain amount, called a deployment cost, when they hired the Filipino maids.

“That is the problem we are facing now and basically we have to pay for their deployment cost (if we are to repatriate them),”

Cuyugan told dzBB radio, adding 90 to 95 percent of Filipinos there work in the household service sector.

The Philippine government is trying to move quickly to get an estimated 17,000 Filipinos out of Syria before the political crisis gets worse and force a close down of all airports and major transport routes.

Last Tuesday, Manila declared alert level 3 in all of Syria, offering voluntary repatriation to Filipinos at the government’s expense, citing heightened security concerns in the country.

Cuyugan said there are a number Filipinos in Syria who have asked to be evacuated, but mainly to escape labor problems and not because they fear for their safety.

Based on his assessment, Cuyugan said he does not see full-blown hostilities erupting anytime soon in Syria, but stressed it is better for the government to “err on the side of caution” than execute a delayed response to the crisis.

“It’s relatively calm here but we encourage our nationals to go home while the unrest is still manageable while there are still commercial flights out of Syria,” he added.

Non-essential and non-urgent travel to Syria is also discouraged, including travel for tourism purposes.

Cuyugan advised Filipinos needing immediate assistance and wanting to return home to immediately contact the embassy’s 24-hour hotline number at +963116132626.

Organizing mass evacuations for Filipinos in conflict-stricken states have proven difficult for the government in the past as many refused to leave and return to the Philippines for fear of losing their jobs.

As early as April this year, Manila has placed under alert level 3 three critical areas in Syria – Daraa, Latakia and Homs – where 4,110 Filipinos reside. But at that time, only three Filipinos heeded the government’s call to leave and returned to the Philippines.

DFA figures showed there are 110 Filipinos in Daraa, 2,400 in Latakia, and 1,600 in Homs. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune