Baldoz appeals anew for OFWs to shun Syria

Labor chief Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz again called on prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to avoid Syria due to the civil unrest engulfing that country, according to a Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) press release.

She issued her appeal this week after labor attache Angel Borja of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Damascus reported that illegally recruited and trafficked Filipinas continue to arrive in the strife-torn country despite the deployment ban, in effect replacing those being mandatorily repatriated by the Philippine government.

On December 22, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the alert level in Syria to Alert Level 4, requiring mandatory repatriation.

“I urge our OFWs who are intent on going to Syria not to, particularly if the part of the country they are supposed to work is engulfed in civil strife,” she said.

“If you remain in the Philippines, the government could better protect you. It will also minimize the social cost of being away from your family and from your homeland, and eliminate other possible expenses needed to safely bring you home if you are in distress.”

She also encouraged OFWs from Syria who will be repatriated to remain in the country because there are jobs and other non-wage employment opportunities waiting for them. She added that the pay or income “could be much greater than their salaries as domestic service workers in Syria.”

The National Reintegration Program, now in full swing, provides returning OFWs the appropriate assistance that would ease their return to the country. Under the program, they can avail of a low-interest, collateral-free loan offered under the P2-billion OFW Reintegration Loan Fund from a low of P500,000 to a maximum of P2 million for new or existing businesses.

There is also the Balik-Pinay, Balik Hanap-buhay Program which is dedicated for distressed women OFWs.

Under the Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbuhay Program, the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) provides a P10,000 livelihood/business development assistance to returning women OFWs.

The P10,000 is intended as a start-up capital for livelihood undertakings, such as trading or general merchandise sales/dealership; neighborhood store; agribusiness; food service; services; e-load station; and production or manufacturing.

At the same time, Baldoz announced the continued repatriation of OFWs in Syria, saying that the repatriation of 261 more OFWs in Syria are being finalized, while 447 more OFWs are being negotiated by the Philippine government with their respective employers for the next batch of repatriation.

From March-December 27 last year, 434 OFWs have already been repatriated, while 148 more OFWs are now sheltered at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC).

The labor chief also said that 1,323 OFWs seeking repatriation assistance have registered with the Philippine Embassy including 133 documented workers. The embassy estimates that there are 14,927 OFWs in Syria, but only 1,422 are documented. Most OFWs are located in Damascus and Aleppo.

“The POLO and our embassy in Syria have intensified their information dissemination efforts for the registration and mandatory repatriation of Filipino nationals. Despite this, the Post observed that the OFWs reception to the call was ‘timid’,” Baldoz explained.

She said that the fund for the repatriation is being drawn from the DFA’s Assistance to Nationals Standby Fund. Deployment cost refund to employers ranges between US$2,500-$3,000 per person, while Iqama and other administrative penalties are placed at $1,000 and airfare at $600 per person.