The POEA ordered the preventive suspension of Al-Masiya Overseas Placement Agency Inc. for being the agency responsible for the deployment of a Filipina household worker that committed suicide five days after arriving in UAE. The suspension also covers Al Madina Recruitment, its counterpart agency in UAE.

Apparently, the Filipina worker, Alona Mercado Bagayan was recruited by Al Masiya agencyto wor in UAE as a household worker. She arrived in UAE on February 1 this year and Al Madina Recruitment immediately sent her to her employer. The household worker was found lifeless on February 5, 2013.

The POEA chief, Hans Cacdac ordered the suspension of Al-Masiya for deploying Mercado in job harmful to public health and for not reporting the death of its deployed worker.According to Cacdac, the life of the OFW could have been saved if the agency complied with its duties and obligation as provided under the POEA rules.

He said, “Under POEA regulations, agencies are obliged to monitor the situation of OFWs –especially household service workers – as soon as they arrive in their workplace.”

“There is strong evidence indicating that the two (2) agencies committed serious violations relative to the recruitment and placement of the subject OFW, and also considering that Al-Masiya has nine (9) pending recruitment violation cases before the POEA, we believe that there are valid and justifiable grounds that the continued operation of the two (2) agencies would lead to further violations and exploitation of the workers being recruited, ” Cacdac added.

The Bagong Bayani Awards that aims to honor and recognize exemplary overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for their contributions to the Philippine society is now ready to accept applications. The Bagong Bayani Awards that started in 2005 has five (5) award categories. The highest honor is the Blas F. Ople Award para sa Natatanging Bagong Bayani, which is given to an OFW deemed as the most outstanding and exemplary and satisfies all the requirements of other awards criteria.

The five (5) categories are:

1.    Bagong Bayani Award for Outstanding Employee

2.    Bagong Bayani Award for Community and Social Service

3.    Bagong Bayani Award for Culture and the Arts

4.    Capt. Gregorio S. Oca Achievement Award

5.    Blas F. Ople Award para sa Natatanging Bagong Bayani

Selection Procedures:

Who may nominate?

Nominations may be made either by: the employer, the deploying recruitment or placement agency, industry associations, co-worker/s; or other reputable individuals or institutions.

Deadline of Sending Nominations: August 31, 2013

Download the Nomination Form here.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) governing board stated in three separate resolutions that the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Iraq, Yemen and Eretria is now allowed.

The Labor Secretary said in a press statement, “The Department of Foreign Affairs has included Iraq in the list of compliant countries under Republic Act 10022, effectively lifting the five-year old ban to the said country.”

The Crisis Alert Level in Iraq was lowered to Level 1 (Precautionary Phase) by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with mandatory travel restriction to “no-go” zones to be determined by the host country.

The deployment ban for rehires or returning workers was lifted after the Iraqui government submitted the list of areas identified as “no-go” zones. The processing of applications for newly hired (except HSWs) will resume upon the conclusion of a Bilateral Labor Agreement with Iraq and the identification of the restricted zones.”

Meanwhile OFWs can now be deployed in Yemen since the DFA lowered its Alert Level from  2 to Alert Level 1 last January. The POEA Board also allowed the deployment of OFWs in Eritrea because of a certification issued by the DFA on December 21, 2012, that included it in the list of compliant countries.

The Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is looking for the following medical workers:

• Respiratory Therapists (Male/Female) – 50 vacancies
• Echocardiography Technicians (Female) – 8 vacancies

Qualifications:

BS Graduates
With Board License (for ECHO Techs)
Minimum 2 years experience
Not more than 45 years of age

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS  may personally submit a detailed resume with job description, school credentials, employment  certificates, passport copy and two (2) pieces 2X2 recent picture at the Manpower Registry Division, Window M, ground floor, Blas F. Ople Building (Formerly POEA Bldg.), Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City or  REGISTER ONLINE at  www.poea.gov.ph or www.eregister.poea.gov.ph

Successful applicants will receive a basic salary of SR 2,550. Deadline of submission of application is on February 22, 2013

Do you want to work abroad and want to know the top countries where Filipino workers are mostly in-demand? Then you need to see the countries with the most number of POEA-approved job orders.

Check out this list compiled by the WorkAbroad.h Facebook page taken from POEA.gov.ph.

Top 20 Countries With Most Number of Job Orders in POEA! 

1. SAUDI ARABIA
2 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
3 QATAR
4 KUWAIT
5 TAIWAN
6 BAHRAIN
7 LIBYA
8 OMAN
9 SINGAPORE
10 PAPUA NEW GUINEA
11 BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
12 JAPAN
13 MALAYSIA
14 AUSTRALIA
15 HONG KONG
16 ANGOLA
17 KOREA SOUTH
18 VIETNAM
19 EQUATORIAL GUINEA
20 PALAU