Sinuspinde ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ang deployment ng overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sa Saudi Arabia, sa Philippine Consulate General sa Jeddah noong Biyernes.

Alinsunod sa direktiba ni Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, hindi tatanggap at magpoproseso ang Philippine Overseas Labor Office sa Jeddah ng “job orders and employment contracts” simula Mayo 31 “until further notice.”

Sa isang memorandum noong Mayo 27, ipinag-utos ni Bello kay Administrator Bernard P. Olalia ng Philippine Overseas Employment Administration na ipatupad ang pansamantalang deployment ban.

Ito ay matapos kumalat ang ilang ulat ukol sa umano’y pagtanggi ng foreign employers at agencies na bayaran ang gastusin para sa health and safety protocols, at insurance coverage ng mga empleyado.

“The Department received reports that departing OFWs are being required by their employers/foreign recruitment agencies to shoulder the costs of the health and safety protocol for COVID-19 and insurance coverage premium upon their entry in the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia],” ani Bello.

“The Department will be issuing an official statement on the resumption of deployment in the KSA after this matter has been clarified accordingly,” dagdag pa ng kalihim.

Ayon naman kay Rolly Francia, DOLE-Information and Publication Service director, a 464 OFWs ang naapektuhan dahil sa biglaang pagpapatupad ng deployment ban.

Ipinagtanggol naman ni Francia ang desisyon ni Bello at sinabing para ito sa “best interests” ng OFWs.

Samantala, inihayag naman ng Philippine Airlines na hindi ipinagbigay-alam sa kanila ng pamahalaan ang pagpapatupad ng deployment ban.

Aniya, “We had not received any official government order directing airlines not to accept OFWs bound for Saudi Arabia, but we complied with verbal instructions from the immigration authorities who are no longer accepting OFWs for travel.”

Dahil dito, 403 OFWs ang hindi nakalipad mula Manila patungong Riyadh at Dammam.