DOLE to assist 300 OFWs displaced by Qatar fire

The Department of Labor on Employment on Tuesday said it will provide assistance to more than 300 Filipino workers who were affected by the fire that broke out at a labor camp in Qatar last March 3. (Photo: DOLE – Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns/Facebook)

MANILA— The Department of Labor on Employment on Tuesday said it will provide assistance to more than 300 Filipino workers who were affected by the fire that broke out at a labor camp in Qatar last March 3.

With this, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III directed the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Qatar to immediately extend assistance to the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the blaze at the UCC Labor Camp of the Elegancia Hospitality Group in Al-Shehaniya, about 33 kilometers north of Doha.

He also instructed Labor Attaché David Des Dicang to provide assistance to the OFWs, monitor their conditions, and ensure that they will be able to normally return to their work.

In a statement, Dicang also reported that there are no casualties in the incident but a certain Sherwin Manlapaz suffered injuries in his lower leg but has already underwent treatment.

In his report to Bello, the POLO said that the fire displaced more than 300 Filipino workers who are mostly employed as cleaners and tea boys.

They reportedly lost their personal belongings from the fire.

The affected OFWs were said to be staying in the accommodation area when the fire burned down the three-story accommodation building.

According to the authorities, the cause of fire is still being investigated.

The POLO-OWWA and the Embassy team composed of the DSWD and the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) section, which coordinates requests for assistance, joined the Filipino community groups in Qatar in bringing emergency aid, such as clothing, food, water, and medicines to the affected OFWs.