This is a great news for Filipinos seeking work abroad, if the plan pushes through. I remember my father work as well in Iraq late 1980's as a company cook but last only for six months due to gulf war.
A five-member delegation from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has been sent to Iraq to study the possible lifting of the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a statement, the DFA said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario also instructed the delegation to look into the possible reopening the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad.
The delegation, headed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, will arrive in Baghdad on Monday and meet with ranking officials of the Iraqi government and Filipino overseas workers in Baghdad and Erbil.
This is the first visit to Iraq by a ranking Philippine government official since the Philippine government transferred its Baghdad embassy to Amman in 2005.
The decision to relocate the embassy, first opened in 1981, was prompted by security concerns that followed the kidnapping of OFWs Angelito dela Cruz and Roberto Tarongoy in 2004 and 2005.
Seguis, a former ambassador to Iraq, secured the release of the two Filipinos from their captors after several months of custody.
"The delegation was dispatched to allow the Philippine government to properly assess the situation on the ground," the DFA said.
"The assessment of Undersecretary Seguis and his team shall serve as basis for recommendations on the reopening of the Philippine embassy and on the lifting of the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers there," it added.
The DFA said the delegation will look into how the scheduled withdrawal of American military forces in December will affect the overall security situation in Iraq and the possible deployment of Filipino workers.
The Philippines continues to observe the ban it imposed in 2004 on the deployment of Filipinos to Iraq.
However, it has allowed OFWs working inside American military camps and facilities to finish their contracts.
There are an estimated 4,000 Filipinos in Iraq, most of them working with American companies.
source:gmanews
In a statement, the DFA said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario also instructed the delegation to look into the possible reopening the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad.
The delegation, headed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, will arrive in Baghdad on Monday and meet with ranking officials of the Iraqi government and Filipino overseas workers in Baghdad and Erbil.
This is the first visit to Iraq by a ranking Philippine government official since the Philippine government transferred its Baghdad embassy to Amman in 2005.
The decision to relocate the embassy, first opened in 1981, was prompted by security concerns that followed the kidnapping of OFWs Angelito dela Cruz and Roberto Tarongoy in 2004 and 2005.
Seguis, a former ambassador to Iraq, secured the release of the two Filipinos from their captors after several months of custody.
"The delegation was dispatched to allow the Philippine government to properly assess the situation on the ground," the DFA said.
"The assessment of Undersecretary Seguis and his team shall serve as basis for recommendations on the reopening of the Philippine embassy and on the lifting of the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers there," it added.
The DFA said the delegation will look into how the scheduled withdrawal of American military forces in December will affect the overall security situation in Iraq and the possible deployment of Filipino workers.
The Philippines continues to observe the ban it imposed in 2004 on the deployment of Filipinos to Iraq.
However, it has allowed OFWs working inside American military camps and facilities to finish their contracts.
There are an estimated 4,000 Filipinos in Iraq, most of them working with American companies.
source:gmanews
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