The Philippine Online Chronicles

Officials of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Sea questioned their territory’s inclusion in the Philippine government’s list of countries where deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are currently banned.

GMA News Online reported that the Cayman Island’s local Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs are trying to determine the reason behind the OFW ban in their territory.

Honorary unofficial consul for the Philippines in Cayman Islands Arturo Ursua said, “All I can think of is that the person who made the negative recommendation did not perform a proper research on the Cayman Islands, which led to this burning issue."

Ursua asserted that while there are no specific laws in Cayman about migrant workers, the Labour Law of the land protects both workers and employers, having strict guidelines on working hours.

"However, there have been cases brought before the Labour Tribunal in recent years that involved accusations that employers were forcing their workers to sign those declarations," Ursua said in a report.

Last week, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) released two board resolution, one approving OFW deployment to 49 countries, another banning OFWs in 41 countries.

Palace said the ban is in place to ensure the safety of Filipino workers and that only a minimal number of OFWs will be affected.

POEA 6 Officer-in-charge Rhea Glynda Calantas said, “We have only processed a small number of OFW employment contracts in seven countries out of the 41 covered by the deployment ban thus the effect in the hiring and deployment of our OFWs here would be very minimal.”

The ban will only affect new hires and will exempt OFWs working for multinational firms and US facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But OFW group Migrante International said it is doubtful that government could enforce the ban.

Migrante chairman Garry Martinez said, “On the one hand, it is a positive development that the government seems to be taking serious action to ensure the protection of our OFWs’ rights. On the other, we question the government’s readiness to address the repercussions and implications of the ban.”

Migrante’s Middle East (ME) chapter also said that the order is just a band-aid solution to OFW abuses.

Migrante-ME regional coordinator John Monterona said, "The problem really is forced migration. Since joblessness is rampant in the country and the job opportunities are scarce, not to mention the grinding poverty in the Philippines, these workers are forced to accept job orders in countries included in the ban.”

The 41 countries are Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Chad, Croatia, Cuba, North Korea, Dominica, Timor Leste, Eritrea, Haiti, India, Iraq, Kyrgztan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, Palestine, Serbia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Swaziland, Tajikstan, Tonga, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalo, US Virgin Islands, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.
According to an infographic by ABS-CBN News Online, the continent most affected by the ban, in terms of land mass, is Africa.