QUEZON CITY, Feb. 3 — Overseas Filipino engineers and architects will not be easily displaced by Qatar’s new equivalency system as the demand for Filipino workers in Qatar continues to rise, a Palace official recently said.
Citing Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, Presidential Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said that Qatar’s job orders of Filipino workers “increased from 85,000 in 2014 to 104,000 in 2015.”
Qatar’s new policy requires a 12-year basic education equivalent to a high school diploma for foreign professionals.
In an earlier statement, Baldoz said some 12,000 OFW engineers and architects may be affected by Qatar’s education requirement as all of them underwent only 10 years of basic education.
Baldoz said Professional Regulation Commission acting Chairperson Angeline T. Chua Chiaco and Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Patricia B. Licuanan went on a meeting in Qatar over the weekend to make strong representations in support of the request for the equivalency of the 12,000 OFWs.
According to Baldoz, Qatar employers have “expressed openness to the full equivalency of the educational qualifications and relevant work experience of Filipino engineers so they may be able to practice their professions in Qatar.”
She said Filipino engineers are working in 20 to 30 percent of construction consultancy firms in Qatar.
Baldoz reported that there are 172,000 OFWs in Qatar.
Coloma said DOLE has not yet received reports of displaced Filipino workers in Qatar due to its new job policy.
He added that DOLE is closely monitoring the situation. He assured Filipino workers in Qatar and in other parts of the world that the government is working to ensure their welfare.
Moreover, Coloma said the government is aggressively implementing the K to 12 program to keep up with international standards in terms of education.
“We need to adapt our policies and standards with other countries for us to remain active players in the global economy,” he said. (PIA)