32 more OFW-friendly countries cited

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has listed 32 foreign countries as compliant to international requirements for the protection of foreign workers, thus assuring overseas Filipino workers of good work conditions and safety from possible abuses.

Baldoz said the governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has approved a resolution putting the 32 countries on the list of countries compliant with the guarantees on the protection of the rights of foreign workers provided under Section 2 of Republic Act 10022.

The 32 countries bring to 184 the number of countries certified by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as labor compliant.

Thus, the POEA may continue to deploy OFWs to these countries and the DFA will continue to negotiate for better protection of household service workers even beyond April 12, she said.

The 32 countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, China, the Dominican Republic, East Timor/Timor Leste, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic/Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Maldives, Micronesia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Panama, Papua New Guine , Qatar, Serbia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Syria, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Zambia.

The labor chief said these countries have been certified by the DFA following the recommendation of the Congressional Committee on Overseas Welfare Affairs chaired by Rep. Walden Bello to consider them as compliant without prejudice to negotiations for the protection of household service workers.

The POEA identified 19 countries not complaint and not safe for Filipino house workers. They are Afghanistan, Chad, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Palestine, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe, Monaco and Vatican City.

Baldoz said that of these 19 countries, the Board had yet to receive the certifications for the Vatican and Monaco, while the certifications for Libya and Iraq are being reviewed in the light of latest developments that may lead to the amendment of their respective certifications. –Mina Diaz, Daily Tribune