DOLE awaiting PRRD nod on medical workers’ overseas deployment

He added that the DOLE’s focus now is to look for an “alternative market” for repatriated OFWs. (File photo by Ramon FVelasquez/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

ANILA – Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Wednesday said they are just waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to allow the overseas deployment of medical workers, including nurses who have completed their overseas requirements as of August 31.

“The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) recommended the exemption will cover out to August 31, which I favorably approved and submitted to IATF. Now, IATF approved our recommendation and it has been submitted to the President for his final approval,” Bello said during the launching of the V-Café@DOLE, a virtual media presser.

He also emphasized that the estimated number of nurses to be deployed abroad is not that significant.

“At most, there are 1,200 (medical workers). Last March 8, we’re expecting about 900 to be deployed but those who left are only about 600. So, this time, we were expecting 1,200 but I doubt very much that we will be able to deploy the said number of medical workers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bello said they expect some 100,000 more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be repatriated.

“There are still more…based on our records, we were able to repatriate on a daily basis is a minimum of 1,000 and a maximum of 3,000. In fact, right now our latest figure is 205,000 OFWs were able to go home since May 2020,” he said.

He added that the DOLE’s focus now is to look for an “alternative market” for repatriated OFWs.

He said that many countries are opening and ready to accept Filipino workers.

“There are many good prospects, China is opening. The Eastern European countries are eager to enter into a labor agreement with us. In fact, Canada alone in Yukon province…even Taiwan came up with another bilateral labor agreement,” he said.