Aside from Libya and Bahrain, another country in the Middle East that is undergoing political crisis is Yemen. Opposition groups in Yemen are said to be planning a protest this Friday (March 25, 2011 ) to pressure President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign.
To assure the safety of all Filipinos in Yemen, the Philippine Embassy in Sanaa there advised them to stay at home or limit their outside activities this Friday and Saturday.
Ezzedin Tago, Charge d’Affaires (CDA) to Riyadh said in a statement that was posted in the DFA website, “The Embassy team sent an advisory by email and SMS to the Filipino community in Yemen through their area coordinators on Wednesday, advising them to stay at home over the weekend and restrict their movement.”
The Embassy hotline numbers for Yemen at: +966-536-881-787 and (01) 482-3559.
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The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) wants to help the families and friends of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that are based in New Zealand and other Middle Eastern countries such as Libya, Yemen and Bahrain communicate with their loved ones. Many are concerned about the situation of OFWs in the Middle East countries due to the ongoing violent protests and the recent earthquake in Christchurch , New Zealand.
That is why the NTC has partnered with Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Pasay City (OWWA) and set up a “Libreng Tawag” booth at the main office of the said government agency in Pasay City.
The free calls will be available for the relatives of affected OFWs from: from March 1-8, 2011 (9:00a.m. to 6:00p.m.).
The free calls initiative is in cooperation with local telcos Globe Telecom, Di— Newsbytes.phgitel Phils. (Sun Cellular), and Smart Communications.
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.”
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