In Afghanistan, no new jobs

Filipinos hoping to find work abroad should not believe recruiters who promise them jobs in Afghanistan.

A recruitment industry expert on Monday warned job seekers about illegal recruitment syndicates offering nonexistent jobs in United States military bases in Afghanistan, following the decision of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to allow Filipinos already working in the US bases to continue working there.

Emmanuel Geslani, consultant of Manila-based recruitment agencies and spokesperson of Filipinos in Afghanistan, said human trafficking syndicates were going around the provinces, particularly in Central Luzon, telling skilled construction workers they could get them high-paying jobs in US bases in Kandahar and Bagram.

Earlier, the POEA legitimized the stay in Afghanistan of some 6,000 Filipino already working in US military facilities there. Those workers may renew their contracts or go home to the Philippines for vacations.

However, the ban on the deployment of newly hired overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), whether inside or outside the American facilities, remains.

A similar policy is in effect for OFWs working for the US in Iraq.

Geslani also called on the POEA to relax its rules on OFWs returning to Afghanistan via Dubai.

“The electronic visa which is now the common form should be accepted by the POEA for the issuance of the overseas employment certificate—the travel document needed at the airport before an OFW is allowed to depart,” Geslani said. Jerome Aning and Philip C. Tubeza