Press Release No. 147-03
8 April 2003

Acting on the joint recommendation from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the lifting of the ban on deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel.

The presidential directive was arrived at based on reports from the Philippine Embassies in the three countries and Special Envoy Roy Cimatu declaring the situation in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Israel as "calm and normal."

All travel to Iraq, however, remains suspended. Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople said the Philippine government is committed to help address the humanitarian concerns of the Iraqi people in the post-war rebuilding of Iraq, jointly with other members of the international community.

In a previous order, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment imposed a ban on travel and work in the Middle East except for OFWs staying In Manila on vacation leave and those who fell under any of the following categories:

•  Those whose families remained at the worksite;

•  Those whose work sites are situated far enough from the battle areas; and,

•  Those whose work visas are about to expire.

President Arroyo has decided to lift the ban to enable workers who have completed all their travel and work documents after the outbreak of war to leave for the Middle East. She, however, instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment to continue monitoring the situation in the Middle East.

"We are optimistic that the conflict in Iraq will not spread to other places in the Middle East. Our posts abroad are maintaining a tight watch on the war in Iraq and its effects on other Middle East countries," Secretary Ople pointed out, adding that the lifting of the ban will be periodically reviewed based on events unfolding in the Middle East.

Acting Labor Secretary Manuel Imson said the Department of Labor and Employment will issue the necessary orders to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to process contracts of Middle-East bound OFWs. "Most of these workers have a deadline to meet with their employers and further delay in the issuance of their contracts would severely hamper their employment opportunities," Imson said.

Meanwhile, Special Envoy Roy Cimatu said the Middle East Preparedness Team is actively involved in helping Filipino workers in the region deal with the outbreak of war. "The Filipinos working here in Kuwait and other Middle East countries are generally calm. They are more worried about the anxiety of their families over the Iraq war," Cimatu added.

Philippine Ambassador Bayani Mangibin’s tart observation sums it all up. He said, "The usual traffic jams are back." END