Brunei seeks exemption from Philippines' deployment cap on health workers

The Brunei government has sought an exemption from the Philippines' deployment cap on healthcare workers because of the demand during the pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

In a statement, Labor Attaché Melissa Mendizabal of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) said the Brunei government needs around 200 nurses and 30 doctors to ramp up its healthcare services.

Medizabal said the Brunei government had requested exemption in 2020 but it was denied. It then sent another request in July 2021.

Salary in Brunei hospitals is comparable to the pay of nurses in Singapore, Mendizabal also noted.

“Nurses receive high take-home pay because of the free accommodation and transportation. If they render overtime work, they earn as much as 2,000 Brunei Dollars per month,”  Mendizabal added.

In June, the Philippine government increased the deployment cap for health workers from 5,000 to 6,500.

Mendizabal said Brunei is also looking for Filipino workers in the oil and gas and household service sectors.

“Prior to our current situation, we have processed job orders for domestic workers. On top of that are the nurses then those in the oil and gas industry. Most of the job orders that we have processed are in those sectors,” said Mendizabal.

Employees in the oil and gas sector, including engineers and architects, receive a pay ranging from  5,000 to 10,000 Brunei Dollars.

Currently, there are around 20,000 overseas Filipino workers in Brunei, Mendizabal said.

However, Filipino workers in Brunei have no chance for permanent residency in the country, she added.

OFWs are "work pass holders only, and they are issued visas after every two years," she further pointed out.—LDF, GMA News