A report from the Philippine Embassy in Damascus said that the government of war-torn Syria would no longer issue entry visas to foreign workers from the Philippines.

The DFA statement said, “The Philippine Embassy in Damascus reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that the Syrian Ministry of Interior issued Decision Order No. 500 dated 04 March 2012 excluding Filipinos from the list of foreign nationals allowed to work in Syria.”
The new policy banning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Syria would take effect on April1. On April, only the workers from the following countries would be allowed inSyria: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

This Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) approves the action from the Syrian government saying that it would help their agency impose the current deployment ban of OFWs to Syria.

The secretary of Labor, Rosalinda Baldoz said that undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) continue to arrive in Syria despite the fact that deployment ban and mandatory repatriation is in effect. The DFA raised the crisis alert level toSyriafrom 3 to 4 which calls for mandatory repatriation. This means that the Philippine government deemed Syria an unsafe workplace for all OFWs.

The Labor Secretary is appealing to all Filipino workers that they should carefully think about the consequences of their decision to still go to Syria despite the ban. Hiring of workers bound to Syria today is illegal as recruiters can only provide them with a tourist visa. She added that most household workers in Syria only earn USD125 and it is a small sum if one will consider the dangers they have to face in their destination.

The secretary also discouraged Filipino workers from applying as household workers abroad because it is difficult to work for an employer with a very different culture with that of the Filipinos.

Baldoz said that the Philippine government has livelihood and entrepreneurship programs that can help them start small businesses here in the Philippines.

The Philippine government ordered mandatory repatriation of OFWs  from Syria after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the crisis alert level inSyriafrom 3 to 4.

Labor Secretary, Rosalinda Baldoz is encouraging OFWs  in Syria to avail the mandatory repatriation program of the government by saying that the Philippines can guarantee their welfare, safety, and protection.

She said, “We are prepared to assist them in with apackageof assistance when they arrive.”

What kind of livelihood assistance will DOLE provide? 

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that are caught in the hostilities in Syria can get in touch with the Philippine Embassy or call the hotline numbers to seek assistance and to inform if they want to be repatriated.

Filipinos in Syria can call hotline numbers of the Philippine Embassy, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA). These are the hotline numbers:

Philippine Embassy in Damascus, Syria: 00-963-116-132626
DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA): 834-3245 and 834-3240.
OWWA 24/7 Assistance Center: 8336992, 5511560, and 09178986992

Affected OFWs and their families can also voiced out their concerns by ending an email to the Embassy at: pe.damascus@gmail.com or to OWWA at syria@owwa.gov.ph

An estimate of 17,000 Filipinos are currently working and living in Syria, but only 2,287 are documented as of July 2011. The Philippine government is encouraging them to seek repatriation.

As violence continues and worsens in Syria, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) imposed a deployment ban to Syria. This covers both new and returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Syria.

The POEA made the announcement after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the alert level in Syria to 3.
The POEA chief, Carlos Cao said in an interview, Carlos Cao, “Once Alert Level 3 is confirmed all over the country, the deployment of both new hires and balik-mangagawa (returning workers) is banned.”

Syria is in chaos because a group of protesters are protesting against the government and demanding the resignation of their president, Bashar al-Assad.