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The Philippine government said Tuesday it is temporarily suspending the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Qatar after some Arab states cut diplomatic ties with the country.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said the decision will allow the government to assess the situation.
"This suspension is for the welfare and protection of our OFWs," Bello said.
There are around 250,000 OFWs in Qatar.
Bello said he also ordered the augmentation team composed of five Philippine Overseas Labor Office officers and staff to Qatar and other involved Middle East countries to assess the situation and monitor the condition of the Filipinos there.
"We need to study first the situation. For now, the protection of our migrant workers comes first. The duration of suspension of deployment will depend on the assessment of the situation with close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs," he said.
He assured the OFWs not to worry as the Philippines still maintains "good diplomatic relations" with Qatar.
President Rodrigo Duterte visited Qatar in April.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, Yemen and Libya broke off relations with Qatar on accusation that it is supporting terrorist groups. Qatar, however, said the allegation was baseless.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
