RP may stop sending domestic workers abroad

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines may be forced to stop the deployment of household workers (HSWs) abroad early next year as a result of the new migrant workers law, a ranking official of the Department of Foreign Affairs said recently.

Foreign Affairs undersecretary Esteban Conejos admitted that many countries hiring Filipino household workers and other skilled workers are having difficulty complying with the provisions of the new law.

Conejos said under the new migrant workers law, the deployment of household workers is only allowed in countries with existing bilateral agreement with the Philippines or mandated certification from the DFA.

However, Conejos said a number of countries hiring these workers are unlikely to comply with the certification requirement of the government.

To address the problem, Conejos said the government is even considering “quality certification” or certification by skill, thus eliminating the vulnerable sectors.

“We are trying to be optimistic about this, but considering the historical evidence, we might not be so confident with respect to certain sectors. Ironically, the sector (vulnerable sector) that Congress wanted to protect with this amendment might just be the sector that would be stripped of formal protection,” Conejos explained.

He added that restriction in deployment may also trigger a rise in illegal deployment of HSWs.

Meanwhile, the recruitment industry warned against the imposition of a ban in the deployment of HSWs abroad.

Recruitment leader Lito Soriano said stopping the deployment of HSWs might result in a backlash from foreign countries which may exert economic and political pressure on the Philippines.

Labor Undersecretary Hans Cacdac, however, maintained that the Philippine government has no plans yet to ban the deployment of HSWs abroad.