The worsening violence in South Sudan prompts the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to raise the crisis alert level to 3 calling for OFW deployment ban. The DFA also announced that they would assist in the repatriation of willing OFWs in Sudan.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said, “For prudence’s sake, we have raised crisis alert level 3 in South Sudan in light of escalating violence in the capital where most of our nationals are located. We are ready to move our people out, should they wish to leave.”

According to the statement, “The DFA has instructed the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, which has jurisdiction over South Sudan, to implement the voluntary repatriation program.”

Data from the DFA said that there are a minimum of 150 Filipinos in Sudan and most of them are employed in construction companies, the United Nations and some non-government organizations.

The news that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) partially lifted the deployment ban in Iraq and Afghanistan is being used by unscrupulous individuals to tricked unsuspecting applicants by promising jobs to the said countries.   For this reason, the POEA issued an advisory to remind jobseekers that for the moment any job offers to Iraq and Afghanistan is illegal or nonexistent because the deployment ban is still in place.

According to Carlos Cao Jr., POEA administrator, “Illegal recruiters saying otherwise must not be believed and must be reported to POEA and other law enforcement authorities for legal action.”

Read the full article.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) announced on its official website that the processing and deployment of Filipino workers bound to Bahrain is now allowed.

This is due to the announcement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that the security classification in Bahrain was reduced from alert level 2 to alert level 1.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) announced a deployment ban on Syria after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the crisis alert to level 2 to Syria. However, the deployment ban does not cover returning workers to Syria.

The crisis alert level 2 in Syria means restriction of movement in Syria, which includes avoiding large crowds and areas of protest. It also encourages Filipinos to voluntarily relocate or leave at their own cost if they have no pressing need to remain.

Read more about the deployment ban in Syria.

As of this writing, no overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be allowed to go to three Middle Eastern countries to work. The government recently suspended the recruitment and deployment of OFWs to Bahrain, Yemen and Libya because of the violent protests happening in the countries mentioned.

The secretary of the Labor Department, Rosalinda Baldoz, said in a statement that appeared in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) website. “I have ordered the suspension of the processing and deployment of [overseas Filipino workers/OFWs ] to Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen.”

Read more.