Bello looking to exempt more nurses from overseas deployment ban

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Tuesday is looking to exempt nurses who have completed their requirements as of August 31 from the overseas deployment ban on health care workers.

The Philippines has issued a temporary suspension of the overseas deployment of medical and allied health workers due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We recommended that the extension should cover not only those who completed their papers as of March 2020 but also [those] who completed their prayers as of August 31,” Bello said in an interview on ANC.

“That was the recommendation of Administrator [Bernard] Olalia of the [Philippine Overseas Employment Administration] and I supported that petition and it is pending with the Inter-Agency Task Force,” he added.

Only returning workers with OEC exemption certificates, new hires with contracts signed before March 8 and with OECs, and seafarers who were previously hired as doctors and nurses and will be deployed by the same licensed manning agency are allowed to leave for their overseas employment.

Meanwhile, Bello said that should the proposal be approved, around 1,200 nurses are expected to go abroad.

“I am confident kasi ‘yun din ang naging desisyon nila nung sinabi ko na ‘yung naka kompleto ng papeles ay from 600 to 900 lang so hindi masyadong madi-dislocate ‘yung ating medical services dito,” Bello said.

Seven Filipino nurses exempted from the ban were prevented from leaving for the United Kingdom.

They were later cleared for departure after authorities consulted POEA over an “ambiguity” in its advisory on exemptions.  — DVM, GMA News