Yt Framework

Malacañang appealed to Filipinos to forego any decision to work or accept work in Syria as civil strife in this Middle Eastern country continue to escalate.
The appeal was issued by Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte during a press briefing aired over government radio dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday.

She said the government was concentrating its efforts on getting overseas Filipino workers out of Syria as soon as possible to prevent putting any of our countrymen in any harm’s way.

“Sana ‘wag po tayong dumagdag doon sa mga iniintindi po ng ating…mga kasamahan dahil delikado po ang sitwasyon,” Valte said.
"Ayaw po natin kayong maharap naman sa sakuna o sa hindi magandang pangyayari,” she added.

Valte assured OFWs that personnel from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Department of Labor and Employment were ready to assist Filipinos in getting back home and finding alternate work locations in other
countries.

“…kung lumapit po tayo sa POEA or sa OWWA pwede or lalo na sa DOLE mahahanapan naman po kayo ng ibang lugar kung saan po kayo pwede i-deploy at hindi kailangan kung saan delikado,” Valte said.

Despite an ongoing ban for OFWs to go to Syria, Labor Attaché Angel Borja said, in a recent report to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, that around 100 Filipinos arrive in Syria every month.

Borja pointed out that Syria had remained under crisis alert level 4 which the Department of Foreign Affairs declared in December 2011.
“Under this alert level, there is a continuing mandatory repatriation of Filipino nationals from Syria,” Baldoz said.

by: PCOO/PIA9-ZBST