22 April 2004 - The Iraq Team, headed by Ambassador Roy A. Cimatu and recently constituted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to review and update the crisis contingency plan for Filipinos in Iraq, has started the registration of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other Filipinos in the area.  The Team initially includes Philippine Charge d’Affaires to Iraq, Ricardo Endaya, Philippine Humanitarian Contingent to Iraq (PHCI) Commander, B/Gen. Jovito Palparan, the Philippine Labor Attache in Iraq and the Philippine Ambassadors to Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Lebanon.  Eight PNP officials currently with the RP Contingent in Iraq are also attached with the Team.

At the same time, a report from the Philippine Embassy confirmed that OFWs at US or Coalition military facilities which are tightly secured, are safe and in good condition.  Civilian workers however are warned to take precautionary security measures by staying within the facilities and avoid restaurants and coffee shops due to bomb threats.  Baghdad itself is a relatively safe place, the report specifically mentioned.

“I commend the Iraq Team for its readiness to perform its mandate even under adverse conditions,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert commented as she received reports that the Team is fast-tracking the registration of Filipinos under unfavorable conditions for travel within Iraq and tight security requirements.

Secretary Albert also stated that the OUMWA office in the Department of Foreign Affairs is consolidating the information on OFWs in Iraq as phoned-in by relatives in the Philippines.  “In cases of requests for voluntary repatriation or relocation, for whatever reason, our Team will render assistance in facilitating the requests,” the Secretary continued as she allayed fears of OFWs and their relatives of being stranded in Iraq when conditions worsen.
 
Meantime the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad gave an estimate of 4,000 OFWs in Iraq, majority of whom are employed by contractors or subcontractors and working at various US or Coalition military facilities in Baghdad, Mosul, Basrah, Balad,  Taji, Nasiriyah and Umn Qasr.  The interim Iraqi government does not require visas for expatriates thus facilitating the entry of OFWs from neighboring states of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan.  This condition however renders the registration of OFWs difficult and cumbersome.  END.