Malacañang on Wednesday turned down the call of several groups to allow Filipino health workers to work abroad, stressing only those with existing contracts may be allowed to travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque justified the delay in the deployment of Filipino health workers abroad, citing that the country is ranked 22nd in the number of COVID cases around the globe.
He said President Rodrigo Duterte has exercised his inherent police power to temporarily prevent health workers from migrating to other countries to ensure their health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m sure that most, if not all, the nurses are leaving for countries that have more number of cases, particularly the United States, which is number one. So it is inherit police power of the President to delay their deployment to uphold the public health,” he said.
Roque explained that the country will mostly need the services of Filipino health workers as the nation battles the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’ve clarified that all those with processed papers as of March 8, 2020 could leave, but all those who do not have their papers yet after March 8 must stay meanwhile,” he said.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has requested the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to allow some 600 nurses to leave the country amid the government’s temporary deployment ban.
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Bernard Olalia said the DOLE has recommended to the IATF to lift the deployment suspension for the outbound nurses.
The IATF issued last week Resolution No. 64, which suspends the overseas deployment of the medical and allied health workers, citing the POEA Governing Board’s Resolution No. 9-2020 that was adopted in April.
Olalia said exemption to health workers with perfected and signed work contracts as of March 8 remains, as well as for “Balik-Manggagawa” workers, or those who have been working abroad but are only here on vacation.
He said they have allowed an average of 300 overseas Filipino workers to leave the country per month since the deployment ban was implemented.
