A new blacklist published by the Philippines government banning deployment of overseas workers includes no Gulf nations.
Filipino workers will continue to be deployed to the region after the likes of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE were omitted from the list of 41 banned countries.
These countries are deemed to lack sufficient laws to protect Filipino workers and include India, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Sudan, Chad and Pakistan.
In September, media reports from Manila said the ban could include the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar because the Philippines government could not guarantee overseas Filipino workers’ protection.
Filipino maids are currently subject to a separate ban from Saudi Arabia after the kingdom said it was seeking new sources for foreign workers. after countries in the region were not included in a new
But despite not being included on the new banned list, none of the Gulf nations appeared on the list of those that comply with Philippine government standards regarding the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) released two board resolutions — one that approves OFW deployment to 49 countries and another that bans OFWs from 41 nations.
Six of the top 10 destinations for OFWs were not found on either list.
According to the POEA, OFWs can still be sent to these countries subject to “further review and evaluation”.
According to media reports from Manila, Philippine embassies submitted “qualified compliance” certificates for these countries where skilled workers are well-protected but less-skilled may not be as protected.
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