POEA imposes total OFW deployment ban to Ethiopia

MANILA – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has imposed a total deployment ban of Filipino workers to Ethiopia in the wake of the continuing conflict between the government and insurgents.

In Governing Board Resolution No. 12, Series of 2021 signed by POEA Governing Board chairman and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, also ordered concerned government agencies to come up with a plan on the immediate repatriation of Filipinos there.

“Now, therefore, the POEA Governing Board, in a meeting duly convened, resolves as it hereby resolved, to impose a total deployment ban to Ethiopia and directs the POEA to closely coordinate with the (Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), deploying licensed agencies, and other concerned entities on the immediate and safe repatriation of OFWs in the said country,” the POEA said in a resolution approved on Nov. 17 and released on Thursday.

On Nov. 8, the DFA has informed the DOLE that it has raised the Crisis Alert Level in Ethiopia to Alert Level 4 (Evacuation/Mandatory Repatriation) in view of the escalating conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government.

According to the United Nations, the conflict has left thousands dead and pushed about 400,000 people into “famine-like” conditions.

Under Alert Level 4, a total ban on the processing and deployment of all workers is imposed and mandatory repatriation of OFWs shall be required and undertaken.

The Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt will coordinate with Filipinos in Ethiopia on their repatriation.