POEA recalls OFW deployment ban to 41 countries

MANILA, Philippines – The government recalled the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to 41 countries earlier declared “unsafe” for OFWs, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said yesterday.

“The POEA governing board resolved to recall the deployment ban considering that the certifications issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs have been withdrawn,” POEA chief Carlos Cao said.

He said the DFA requested for a 90-day suspension of the deployment ban so it could work on possible new bilateral agreements and enable the affected countries to comply with the amended Migrant Workers Act.

“The resolution would be published in a national newspaper and take effect immediately,” Cao said.

The POEA chief said the lifting of deployment ban will immediately take effect since the restriction was not implemented and the processing continued despite the issuance of the previous resolution.

Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz said the POEA drafted a new resolution after receiving a letter from the DFA withdrawing the certification it issued to 41 countries.

The DFA initially declared the 41 countries as “unsafe” for their failure to ensure the protection of Filipino workers. The POEA issued the deployment ban based on the recommendation of DFA.

Cruz explained that the law requires the DFA to undertake assessment and certification to all countries hiring Filipino workers. Countries without bilateral agreement with the Philippines or law providing protection for OFWs would be declared “unsafe.”

The labor official added that the law also prohibits the POEA from deploying Filipino workers to countries considered unsafe.

The deployment ban was supposed to take effect next week.

Migrante International said the government should conduct a comprehensive review of countries declared “unsafe” as well considered “safe” for OFWs.

Garry Martinez, Migrante chairman, said the DFA appeared to have haphazardly issued the certifications.

“We are very worried that the DFA might have haphazardly approved applications of some countries where abuses and violations of our migrants’ rights are rampant, especially in the Middle East,” he said.

Martinez cited in particular Jordan, which was declared “compliant” by the DFA and whose ban has been lifted by the POEA.

He noted that there were reported cases of “state-sponsored human trafficking” allegedly involving embassy posts.

The group questioned the certification issued to Saudi Arabia, where they said human rights abuses against OFWs are an open secret.

He asked the DFA to disclose the criteria for issuing certification to host countries to determine if they are really complying with the provisions of the law.

Meanwhile, Cagayan Rep. Juan “Jack” Enrile urged the DFA, DOLE, and the POEA to get their act together amid confusion over the government’s pronouncements on the deployment ban of OFWs.

Enrile said the agencies’ “seemingly out-of-sync pronouncements and actions on the issue is leaving OFWs and employment agencies — and perhaps even the receiving countries covered by the supposed deployment ban — wondering on the Philippine government’s official stand on the matter.”

The DFA earlier issued a negative certification to 41 countries that have not passed domestic laws or signed international treaties ensuring the protection of foreign workers. The POEA then issued an order implementing a deployment ban of OFWs in 41 countries given the negative certification.

However, citing diplomatic implications of POEA’s order, the DFA asked for a deferment on the implementation of the deployment ban.

To further muddle the issue, the DFA is now reviewing its negative certification to 41 countries that was used by the POEA as the basis for the deployment ban, Enrile said. –-Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) with Paolo Romero