The Philippine government will stop sending overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to 41 countries that, it said, does not guarantee protection of the rights of migrant workers.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has issued last Friday (October 28) Board Resolution No. S 7, which list the countries that are non-compliant with the guarantees provided under Section 3 of Republic Act 10022.
Section 3 of RA 10022 provides that “the State shall allow the deployment of overseas Filipino Workers only in countries where the rights of Filipino migrant workers are protected.”
The provision however states that “the government recognizes any of the following as a guarantee on the part of the receiving country for the protection of the rights of migrant workers: (a) It has existing labor laws and social laws protecting the rights of workers, including migrant workers; (b It is a signatory to and/or ratifier of multilateral conventions, declarations or resolutions relating to the protection of workers, including migrant workers; (c) It has concluded a bilateral agreement on the protection of the rights of overseas Filipino workers.”
The resolution added that countries will not be included in the list provided it is taking positive, concrete measures to protect the rights of migrant workers.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through its foreign posts, will issue certification to the POEA, specifying therein the pertinent provisions of the receiving country’s labor/social law, or the convention/declaration/resolution, or the bilateral agreement/arrangement which protect the rights of the migrant workers
Philippine Embassies and Missions have certified that the following host countries are not compliant with the guarantees provided under the aforesaid law:
1. Afghanistan
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Barbados
4. Cambodia
5. Cayman Islands
6. Chad
7. Croatia
8. Cuba
9. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea/North Korea
10. Dominica
11. East Timor/Timor Leste
12. Eritrea
13. Haiti
14. India
15. Iraq
16. Kyrgyzstan/Kyrgyz Republic
17. Lebanon
18. Lesotho
19. Libya
20. Mali
21. Mauritania
22. Montenegro
23. Mozambique
24. Nauru
25. Nepal
26. Niger
27. Pakistan
28. Palestine
29. Serbia
30. St. Kitts and Nevis
31. St. Lucia
32. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
33. Sudan
34. Swaziland
35. Tajikistan
36. Tonga
37. Turks and Caicos
38. Tuvalu
39. US Virgin Islands
40. Vanuatu
41. Zimbabwe
