Gov’t mulls lifting of ban on OFWs to Iraq

By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer
2:50 am | Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

A government delegation is now in Iraq to look into the possibility of reopening the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad and the lifting of the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to the war-torn country, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said Monday that “the delegation, headed by DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, arrived (on Monday) and will meet with ranking officials of the Iraqi government, as well as OFWs in Baghdad and Erbil.”

“This is the first visit to Iraq by a ranking Philippine government official since the DFA transferred our embassy in Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, in 2005,” Hernandez noted.

The relocation of the country’s diplomatic mission was prompted by security concerns following the kidnapping of Filipino migrant workers Angelito dela Cruz and Robert Tarongoy in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

In a statement, the DFA said the Seguis-led delegation “will look into how the scheduled withdrawal of US military forces in December will affect the overall security situation in Iraq, and how this would impact on the possible deployment of Filipino workers.”

The Philippines imposed the deployment ban in 2004. Lately, it allowed those working inside American military camps and facilities to finish their job contracts.

Last month, Malacañang announced that the ban on the deployment of OFWs to both Iraq and Afghanistan will remain.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., chair of the Overseas Preparedness Response Team, said President Aquino had approved the body’s recommendation to maintain the ban.

But Ochoa said they had recommended that OFWs employed on US military bases and facilities be allowed to remain there.

The government reviewed its deployment ban to the two countries after the US military ordered all its contractors last year not to hire third-country nationals whose domestic laws prohibit their citizens from traveling and working there.