Despite deployment ban, 100 OFWs still enter Syria every month — DOLE

The Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday reminded prospective overseas Filipino workers to steer clear of recruiters offering them jobs in Syria.   DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz made the appeal after receiving a report that some 100 Filipino workers victimized by illegal recruiters arrive in Syria every month.   "There is an existing ban on OFWs bound for Syria. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration is not processing any worker document for Syria, and Syria is not a safe place for OFWs to work," Baldoz said.    She noted that while there is an existing Philippine ban on deployment to Syria, Syria also has a new law stopping the issuance of entry visas to Filipinos effective April 1.   Philippine labor attache to Damascus Angel Borja, who updated Baldoz on the situation in Syria, said political and economic conditions there remain unstable and continue to deteriorate.   In his update report to Baldoz, Borja said Syria remains under Crisis Alert Level 4 which the Department of Foreign Affairs declared in December 2011.   "Under this alert level, there is a continuing mandatory repatriation of Filipino nationals from Syria," said Baldoz.   On the other hand, Borja lamented an estimated 100 new OFWs who are victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking still arrive in Syria every month.   "This, despite the implementation by the Syrian government of its Decision No. 500, a new Syrian law that stopped the issuance of entry visa to all Filipino nationals effective 1 April 2012," he said.   More OFWs for repatriation   The Philippine government has already repatriated 1,531 from Syria since the start of the political crisis there. Of these 1,531, only 179 were documented.   Borja also reported some 1,375 more OFWs, out of 3,053 repatriation applicants, are under the process of repatriation.   "To date, the Philippine Embassy's registration program has netted a total of 6,942 Filipino nationals still remaining in Syria," said Borja. — ELR, GMA News