Noli opposes lifting of Lebanon deployment ban on OFWs

Vice President Noli de Castro said yesterday the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Lebanon should not be lifted despite the United Nations-brokered ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.

Speaking on his weekly radio program "Para sa Iyo… Bayan," De Castro said Task Force Lebanon, which he heads, raised serious concern over the rising cases of labor problems, especially after the conflict that will continue to hurt Lebanon’s economy.

Speaking in Filipino, De Castro said "the ban on Lebanon should be maintained because of the ill-treatment of many OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers)."

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said the deployment ban should be maintained after Task Force Lebanon noted an increase in cases of maltreatment suffered by OFWs at the hands of Lebanese employers traumatized by the war.

"It is still mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Lebanon," Conejos said. "The task force identified the rising cases in labor problems and it is possible that (Lebanese employers) may take out their frustration due to war trauma (on OFWs in their employ)."

He said a total of 6,073 OFWs in Lebanon were repatriated, including the two batches of 300 Filipinos who arrived yesterday.

Task Force Lebanon has recommended to President Arroyo that Alert Level 4 and her order for the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos from Lebanon be maintained. The task force has also rejected the proposal to lower the existing alert level, as was recommended by the Philippine embassy in Beirut and the Middle East Preparedness Team (MEPT).

De Castro said Ambassador to Beirut Al Francis Bichara and MEPT chairman Roy Cimatu proposed that the alert level be lowered from four to three, which will lift the mandatory evacuation order and allow instead for voluntary repatriation.

Bichara and Cimatu made their recommendations because the "security situation in Lebanon has vastly improved and the climate of peace is now prevailing," thanks to the ceasefire.

However, they also said the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel is fragile due to the commitment of countries participating in deployment of UNIFIL forces is still incomplete. They also expressed concern over the continued naval and air blockades and the unresolved disarming and continued presence of Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon.

They also expressed uncertainty over the fate of two kidnapped Israeli soldiers and the Israeli commando raid on Baalbek on Aug. 18, which UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said was a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

De Castro said his task force evaluated the situation in Lebanon and the proposals made by the Philippine embassy in Beirut and the MEPT but said his task force does not approve of the proposals because the Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire is not complete and the threat to OFWs in Lebanon remains high.

He added that the mandatory evacuation of OFWs from Lebanon is "an act of sovereignty in the midst of the resistance of (Lebanese) employers to let go of the OFWs."

"This is also to protect the OFWs from any further trauma abuses as a result of the post-war trauma experienced by Lebanese employers," he said.

Task Force Lebanon also said the P500-million budget it is seeking from Congress will be used for the repatriation of OFWs from Lebanon as well from as other countries as may be needed.

The task force has also asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to apply pressure upon Lebanese recruitment agencies so these agencies will let their OFWs with contracts go. It also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to hire a Lebanese lawyer to prosecute abusive employers.

De Castro said the task force has also proposed that the President give DOLE and the DFA the prerogative to recall some of their officials and staff in Lebanon and Syria as circumstances warrant.

He said the DFA may consider recalling Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis, Cimatu and Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Andaya to Manila and the diplomatic mission in Kuwait.