Only Filipinos working for US can stay in Iraq, Afghanistan

Except for Filipinos currently employed on United States military bases and facilities, the ban on the deployment of Filipinos to war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq will remain, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said on Sunday.

In a statement, Ochoa, chair of the Overseas Preparedness Response Team, said President Aquino approved last Friday his recommendation to keep the ban.

As for Filipinos working for the Americans, “after making an assessment of the conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq based on input from the Department of Foreign Affairs, we have recommended that Filipinos employed on US military bases and installations be allowed to remain there,” Ochoa said.

The government took a second look at its deployment ban to the two countries after the US military ordered all its contractors last year not to hire third-country nationals whose domestic laws prohibit their citizens from traveling and working there.

The US government warned the contractors caught violating the order they would no longer be allowed to bid for US projects in the two countries.

There are about 7,000 Filipinos working in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ochoa said the government would continue to closely monitor the situation in the two countries to ensure the safety of Filipino workers there.

“Ensuring the safety and security of our overseas Filipino workers is our primary concern. Just as their livelihoods are important to them, their lives are important to us. We will take whatever precautions necessary so that nothing untoward happens to Filipinos who work in these countries,” Ochoa said.