Gabriela Solon Chides Pres. Arroyo for Lifting Ban to Lebanon and Jordan

A militant solon chided Pres. Gloria Arroyo for her haste in  deploying  Filipino Overseas Workers to war-torn Lebanon and Jordan.  "It  is like sending cannon fodder! The two countries are problematic areas for OFWs' welfare and safety," said Gabriela Women's Party Representative Luzviminda Ilagan.

“Lifting the ban is giving the green light  to dangerous work assignments which will not address unemployment but will even exacerbate the perils  faced by migrant workers”, she added.

Arroyo's action,  upon the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, is premised on  so-called improved security conditions, according to Rep. Ilagan and “ it reveals her criminal disregard for  the welfare of the retrenched OFWs who were adversely affected by the global economic crisis by exposing them to  the vagaries of abusive employers in Lebanon and Jordan.”

There are about 30,000 OFWs in Lebanon and about 18,000 in Jordan who are working as domestic and construction workers. There have been persistent reports of physical and verbal abuses,as well as  refusal to pay wages  by the employers to the Filipino domestic workers.

"Her sole basis for allowing deployment to these countries is the immediate need for providing jobs to Filipinos. But as always, the  protection of their rights and welfare is ignored by a government  that pursues an aggressive labor export policy, " Rep. Ilagan said.

“The Arroyo government should concretely address local unemployment by creating more jobs in the homeland instead of  promoting migrant work that has dire long-term social costs," Ilagan said.#