SYRIA has banned Filipinos from working in the Middle Eastern country.
The Philippine Embassy in Damascus reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Syrian Ministry of Interior issued Decision Order No. 500 dated March 4, 2012 that excluded Filipinos from the list of foreign nationals allowed to work in the country.
The embassy has asked the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for the issuance of proper guidelines for prospective applicants.
The Syrian government claims there are about 10,000 Filipinos residing in the country, counting both documented and undocumented.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration counts at least 6,000 while the DFA says there are 5,000.
At least 1,100 Filipino nationals in Syria have so far availed of the Philippine government’s voluntary repatriation program following continued civil unrest in the Middle Eastern country.
Garry Martinez, Migrante International chairperson, called on the Philippine government to enforce repatriation of Filipinos in Syria “to the hilt” in light of reports of imminent air strikes on Syria anytime as part of foreign military intervention that may endanger the lives of tens of thousands of Filipinos.
