POEA welcomes deferment of Saudi ‘unified contract’ scheme

MANILA, Philippines – An official from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), welcomed the deferment of the unified contract scheme in Saudi Arabia following strong opposition from militant groups and recruitment agencies. Lawyer Alberto Abalayan, POEA director of Recruitment and Regulation told GMANews.TV on Wednesday that the Saudi government’s move was a good development for more than a million OFWs in the oil-rich kingdom. “It signifies that the Saudi Arabian government is open to discuss the matter of foreign labor," Abalayan said. According to him, POEA administrator Rosalinda Baldoz also recommended the suspension of the unified contract’s implementation. Migrant groups earlier accused Philippine government agencies of not being aggressive in opposing the proposed labor scheme. “I don’t think ‘aggressive’ should be the term to use here," Abalayan said. “There are certain matters that should be pursued diplomatically." Despite the deferment, Abalayan said that OFWs would still have to wait in October, when the Philippines and Saudi Arabia meet in Manila to finally put a lid on the issue. “A final decision on the unified contract scheme would only be reached when representatives from the Philippines and Saudi Arabia meet for a joint commission in Manila next month," he said. Last July, Saudi Arabian Ambassador Mohammed Ameen Wali notified the POEA that effective Sept. 1, 2008, the embassy will entertain visa requests only to recruits of Philippine placement agencies who have tie-ups with a member of the Saudi National Recruitment Commission (Sanarcom). Philippine recruiters have raised fears that they and their recruits will pay additional fees if the scheme takes effect. They claim Sanarcom will only act as a "middle man" in the processing of visas for OFWs. - Mark Ubalde, GMANews.TV