MANILA, June 16 (PNA) — The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has issued a resolution imposing a total deployment ban on the processing and deployment of all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) bound for Iraq except for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region which “remains calm and stable” as per the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advisory.
POEA issued the ban until such time when the condition in the said country is normalized after due consultation with the DFA.
According to POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 04, s.2013, “no-go” zones in Iraq are identified as a precondition for the lifting of the deployment ban.
Processing and deployment of vacationing workers and new hire workers to Iraq, excluding household service workers, are resumed except in Anbar Province, Ninewah/Nineveh Province, Kirkuk Province (a.k.a. Tamim; Al Tamin; At-Tamim), and Salahuddin/Salahaddin Province which are considered as “no-go” zones.
Last June 13, the DFA raised the crisis alert level status to Alert Level 3 (Voluntary Repatriation Phase) except for the Iraqi Kurdistan region which remains under Alert Level 1 (Precautionary Phase). (PNA)