OFW ban to Nigeria, Lebanon, Afghanistan partially lifted

• Posted by admin on November 17th, 2007 filed in OFW Asia

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment has partially lifted the ban in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the conflict-ridden countries of Nigeria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, but not that to Iraq.In Department Order 86-07, dated November 16, a copy of which was obtained by INQUIRER.net, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion qualified the lifting to the ban to the three countries.

Brion said the following OFWs will be allowed to be deployed to Nigeria: those returning to their previous employment, except for those working at the Niger Delta area; newly hired OFWs for duly accredited employers at the time of the promulgation of the order; and OFWs deployed to newly accredited employers.

In all these three cases, the secretary of labor will clear the deployment subject to terms and conditions he may impose. He may consider any or all of the following: nature of the employer’s business and work location, long established reputation and track record in hiring OFWs in their global operations, the risks involved, the security measures the employer employed, and terms and conditions of employment.

The labor department had issued a total OFW deployment ban to Nigeria following a spate of kidnappings involving foreign workers, including Filipinos, in one of the world’s top oil-producing countries.

In Lebanon, Brion said the following OFWs will be allowed:

* Household service workers (HSWs) returning to their previous employment in Lebanon under the terms of the new policy reforms for HSWs;

* Newly hired HSWs endorsed by the labor attaché to Lebanon for members of the family of newly heads of states and governments, ministers, deputy ministers, and other government officials of equal rank, and members of the diplomatic corps and of recognized international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and similar international organization;

* OFWs other than HSWs under the usual terms and conditions imposed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

In Afghanistan, Brion has allowed the deployment of OFWs to be employed by coalition forces at their bases and by recognized international organizations, such as the UN and its agencies, the IOM, the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent, and similar international organizations.

Brion said the partial lifting of the ban has been done “after due consultations with all stakeholders,” including OFWs, government agencies, and the governing board of the POEA.

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