DFA wants labor deployment ban deferred

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario yesterday asked Labor officials to delay the imple-mentation of an unprecedented ban on the deployment of Filipino workers in 41 countries without adequate work protection to give Philippine diplomats time to dialog with those states to prevent any backlash.

Del Rosario’s call reflected a lack of adequate coordination between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Labor officials, particularly the Philippine Overseas Employ-ment Administration (POEA) which issued the resolution on the labor ban last Friday.

Labor officials said the ban was imposed on 41 countries, which include Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, North Korea, Cambodia and India, after Philippine embassies and diplomatic missions certified that those countries lacked the required labor protection that a Philippine law — the recently amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995

— wanted a foreign country to have before Filipino workers could be sent there.

It was not clear why the DFA appeared to be in the dark about the decision to impose the labor ban on 41 countries when its officials and diplomats played a key part in selecting compliant and non-compliant countries.

Del Rosario suggested he wanted his department to have more time in explaining to the so-called non-compliant countries that “the list does not seek to pass any value judgment on any country.”

He said the list “serves as a crucial benchmark for all government agencies concerned to work for the betterment of the safety, welfare and working conditions of our nationals.”

Del Rosario, however, believes that “there are compelling reasons to defer further action on the list.”

The DFA chief asked for “ample opportunity to dialog with these countries,” saying such move “would be to the benefit of Filipino workers already there and those planning to seek gainful employment in those countries.”

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez made it clear that Del Rosario “wanted the effectivity of the ban be delayed.”

The POEA said the blacklisted countries failed to sign international conventions protecting foreign workers.

They were included in the list for refusing to sign a bilateral agreement with Manila that would commit them to uphold the protection of Filipino workers who will be working in their countries.

The absence of labor laws protecting foreign workers was also another factor for their inclusion in the list.

Philippine officials said the effect on Filipino workers is minimal although they did not say what would be its consequence on the country’s economy, which is largely dependent on the remittances of its migrant workers abroad.

Del Rosario also assured that the Philippine government “gives the highest importance to the safety and welfare of overseas Filipinos” as it continues to reinforce its partnership with Congress and other stakeholders on this crucial issue.

Malacañang, however, supported the deployment ban in 41 countries, saying it is the government’s duty to ensure the safety of Filipinos wherever they may be.

Despite the deployment ban issued by the POEA, the Amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 also provides that the state shall allow the deployment of OFWs to companies and contractors with international operations that are compliant with standards prescribed by the POEA, deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte also yesterday said.

Citing the statement of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, the Palace official said the number of OFWs to be affected by the deployment ban in 41 countries would be very minimal.

“As an important pillar of the Philippine economy, part of our commitment to migrant workers includes expanding economic opportunities while ensuring their safety wherever they may be in the world,” Valte said.

The Labor department said the ban will affect just over 200 OFWs, and those who have opted to come home can avail of the government’s integration program.

It added the 41 countries affected by the ban are not considered major receiving countries for OFWs.

The Philippines is one of the top labor-sending states in the world with at least eight million working in the skilled and unskilled sectors across the globe, earning more than they could in the country gripped by widespread poverty and a stagnant job market. PNA, Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune