DFA mulls reopening of Phl embassy in Baghdad

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has dispatched a five-member delegation to Baghdad to discuss with Iraqi officials the reopening of the Philippine embassy in the city and the lifting of the ban imposed on the deployment of Filipino workers.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the team headed by Undersecretary Rafael Seguis left Manila on Sunday and arrived in Baghdad yesterday. The delegation will meet with ranking Iraqi officials as well as Filipino workers in Baghdad and Erbil.

The delegation will also assess the effect on the security situation of the withdrawal of US military forces from the city in December.

The Philippines imposed the deployment ban to Iraq in 2004 but has allowed Filipino workers in US military camps and facilities to finish their contracts.

The sending of a delegation to Iraq is also the first visit to the Middle East nation by a ranking Philippine official since the Philippines transferred its embassy to Amman, Jordan in 2005. The Philippine embassy was removed from Baghdad following the kidnapping of Filipino workers Angelo de la Cruz and Robert Tarongoy in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

DFA Undersecretary for migrant workers affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said the Philippines will review the deployment ban based on the assessment of the security situation after the pullout of US forces.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) advised the public to be wary of illegal recruiters who promise work in Iraq.

“Illegal recruiters saying otherwise must not be believed and must be reported to POEA and other law enforcers for legal action,” said POEA administrator Carlos Cao Jr. 

DFA records show that there are 6,000 Filipinos working in Iraq.

Vishakha Desai, president of global non-government organization Asia Society, said the Philippine government should pay attention to the needs of Filipino workers abroad, whose remittances have been keeping the local economy afloat.

“Obviously these issues have been bubbling around for a long time,” she said. “We have to make sure to give our leaders leeway where some foreign policy issues are not just about your domestic concern. And how to balance those two is also important.”

President Aquino is the keynote speaker for Asia Society in New York where he is attending the launch of the Open Government Partnership chaired by US President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. – With Delon Porcalla