DFA wants ban on Pinoy workers in Somalia

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has recommended a ban on the deployment of both land-based and ship workers in Somalia following the series of hijackings by Somali pirates that have held Filipino seamen hostage.

DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. proposed the deployment ban and other protective measures for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during an inter-agency meeting chaired by Labor Secretary Marianito Roque and attended by officials and representatives from the DFA, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Office of the Vice President (OVP), and four manning agencies of shipping vessels with Filipino crew hijacked in Somalia.

Conejos proposed some protective measures for Filipino workers that should be implemented to prevent such incidents.

He recommended during the meeting that Filipino seamen should not be allowed to work on vessels that are vulnerable to pirates in Somalia.  

Filipino seamen should be restricted by their contract to the safe sea lanes identified and certified by the Coalition of Naval Forces operating in the area.

The DFA also proposed to raise the minimum age requirement in the deployment of household workers overseas, from 23 years old to 30 years old, to ensure that they are emotionally and mentally prepared to face the challenges posed by employment abroad.

Conejos admitted that the abduction of Filipino seamen in Somalia is difficult to stop but the Philippine government is now looking for ways to avoid the kidnappings.

He said the series of hijacking of Filipino seafarers in Somalia is of serious concern to the government, but the government is having a hard time monitoring the movement of Filipino seafarers because their vessels frequently pass through Somali waters, particularly the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.