A research and advocacy group slammed Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III’s move to ban or limit the deployment of Filipino workers to Qatar, saying there is no war, conflict or political strife in that country that would endanger the lives of the Filipinos.
The Lilac Center for Public Interest, a policy research and advocacy organization, described the move as “over acting” that could have an impact to employment and the Philippines’s diplomatic relations with the oil-rich Qatar.
Bello partially lifted the suspension of deployment of OFWs to Qatar, a day after the ban imposed on June 6.
Bello said Department of Labor and Employment’s Crisis Committee decided to lift the deployment suspension for OFWs who are just returning to Qatar and those who already have an overseas employment certificate (OEC) issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. All with OECs, whether returning to Qatar or new hires, will be allowed to depart.
Bello said, however, that OFWs whose papers are still for processing remain covered by the deployment ban.
In a statement, Lilac Center president Nicon F. Fameronag said the decision to ban the deployment was based on wild speculation and rumors, as Bello himself said the DoLE is still assessing the situation.
“It was hastily done seemingly without the benefit of a current assessment of the Department of Foreign Affairs which has not issued any alert signal on Qatar to guide relevant agencies, such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s Governing Board, in making a wise decision on the deployment of OFWs to that country,” Fameronag said.
Fameronag said it appeared that Bello did not coordinate his deployment ban decision with labor attaché to Qatar David Dicang and the DFA and its ambassador to Qatar, Allan Timbayan, himself a former labor attaché, because the DFA’s and Ambassador Timbayan’s statements on the recent events in the Gulf both said the foreign service posts are still closely monitoring the situation.
“The last time we know, the policy decision whether to ban or to continue the deployment of OFWs rests with the POEA Governing Board of which the DOLE Secretary is the chairperson. But this decision is based on the assessment of the DFA which has not issued any recommendation or a revised alert level status for Qatar on account of the diplomatic feud,” Fameronag explained.
He added that the decision to ban the deployment of OFWs to Qatar—with which the Philippines has close and warm diplomatic relations—may send the wrong signal to that country that the Philippines is overly reactive to a situation that it is not directly involved and may be easily resolved.
“There is no crisis involving OFWs in Qatar; only a potentially disruptive situation that the Qatari government is capable of handling,” Fameronag said.
“The Qatari government itself has said the diplomatic row “will not affect the normal course of life of citizens and residents of the State and that the Qatari government will take all necessary measures to ensure this and to thwart any attempts to influence and harm the Qatari society and economy,” he added.