220 OFWs return to work in Kazakhstan

At least 220 Filipino oil workers in Kazakhstan returned to work on Monday following the implementation of a new site security plan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The consular team headed by Ambassador to Pakistan Jaime Yambao said the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) employed by SK-Bechtel in Tengiz, Kazakhstan were assured of their security under the New Site Security Plan drawn up by Bechtel officials, in consultation with Filipino and other workers and the consular team.

A three-member consular team from the DFA and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) joined the Filipino oil workers when they returned to the Chevroil Project work site and observed the new security measures in place.

In a report, Labor Attaché in Riyadh Resty de la Fuente said the situation when the Filipinos returned to work in the oil field remained peaceful, and that there was no tension.

On Saturday, some 100 Filipino and Indian workers, mostly foremen, also resumed work.

At least 227 Filipinos who opted to return to the Philippines are awaiting their flight schedules.

SK-Bechtel vice president Jim Betts told Yambao that his company is considering chartering a flight for the repatriation of Filipinos in coordination with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The first batch of 11 OFWs has left Tengiz and is scheduled to arrive in Manila this afternoon.

The Philippine government sought the oil workers’ employer in Kazakhstan to get assurance for their safety and to review the security plan that would be implemented when they return to work.

The Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, which has jurisdiction over Kazakhstan, asked Bechtel International to segregate the Filipino workers during meal time because the tension is high.

The evacuation of Filipinos in Kazakhstan is not necessary because the problem is localized, he added. — Pia Lee-Brago