The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) had enumerated 24 countries where deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) for the year 2018 is prohibited due to safety concerns and unstable economic situations.
Per POEA’s Advisory 21, series of 2017, aside from unstable safety and economy, some of them also failed to secure a certificate from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
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Among the countries, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan (except Khartoum and the Kenana Sugar Plantation in the White Nile), Great Lakes Region (Rwanda and Burundi), Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and the Chechnya Republic had held hiring of OFWs due to unsteady peace and order. Total deployment ban to both new and returning employees applies to these countries.
On the other hand, South Sudan; Libya; and Ukraine, had partial deployment ban as first time workers are banned from working in the country but the returning workers are allowed. This set-up is also due to unstable peace and order situation.
House Service Workers are also banned in Palau due to their economic and work conditions.
Meanwhile, POEA Advisory 21 also enumerated 12 countries who were unable to secure certification from the Department of Foreign Affairs per Republic Act 10022 or the Amended Migrant Workers Act.
Apparently, countries are required to secure a certificate so OFWs can be deployed by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The following countries are not certified by DFA:
- Afghanistan
- Chad
- Cuba
- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea/North Korea
- Haiti
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Palestine
- Somalia
- South Sudan
