Citing improved security situations, the government of Iraq on Wednesday appealed to the Philippines lift the deployment ban on overseas Filipino workers to Iraq.
A 19-member delegation from Baghdad currently in Manila for the 8th Iraq-Philippines Joint Committee Meeting (JCM), the first to be held after 10 years.
On the sidelines of the bilateral talks, Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Health and head of delegation Khamees Hussein Ali said Baghdad intends to hire more Filipino workers, specifically nurses.
Ali said they are seeking the removal of “red lines” between the two states, referring to the current deployment ban and alert level status in the country.
“We are trying to move all the things that affect Filipino workers to come to Iraq because now in Iraq the security is very good, everything is good now, so it is okay to bring Filipino workers into Iraq,” he said.
In the same interview, Iraq Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs advisor Adnan Kareem Salman said have invited Filipino officials to Iraq and assess the current situation there.
“The Ministry of Labor wants to remove the ban on the Filipino workers in Iraq. Filipino workers don’t make any problem and they are very liked by our country,” he said.
At present, Iraq is under Alert Level 3 where a voluntary repatriation advisory and a deployment ban are in effect.
Iraq is currently proposing the renewal of the 1982 memorandum of agreement on the mobilization of workers, which allows the exchange of Filipino and Iraqi workers.
Salman said they are willing to make necessary changes in the deal, or craft a new one should the Philippine wanted.
Sought for comment, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said Manila has yet to make a decision and that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) defers to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Invoking information from the DFA Office of the Middle East and African Affairs, De Vega quoted the DMW as saying there must be a review of the situation and probably visit to Iraq before the deployment ban could be lifted.
“Iraq wants to hire Filipino nurses for their government hospitals in connection with the improvement program of their health care system,” he said.
“Perhaps Iraq can invite DMW to visit a typical Iraqi government hospital to see for themselves, better if they can interview a Filipino nurse already working there,” he added.
On the lowering of alert level, he said the DFA also awaits “further feedback” from the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad