The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Tuesday, October 10, that the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Israel has been put "on hold".
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said that the agency seeks confirmation from Israeli authorities that the operations of Ben Gurion International Airport has returned to normal before resuming the deployment of OFWs, particularly hotel workers, to the Middle East country.
Reports state that, as of Tuesday, October 10, that Ben Gurion International Airport operates "as usual" but many airlines have cancelled flights to Israel following an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"We’re looking at the airport situation in Israel and consult with our counterparts, iyong Labor and Immigration Authorities, as to whether puwede muling mag-resume," Cacdac said during a press briefing in Malacanang.
"What we’ve heard so far are press releases so we need to officially confirm," he added.
Cacdac assured that DMW coordinates with the Population, Immigration, and Border Authority of Israel on when the deployment of OFWs can resume.
However, even if the operations of the Ben Gurion International Airport returns to normal, the DMW officer-in-charge stressed that a deployment ban will take into a effect upon the raising of an Alert Level 2 or Alert Level 3.
"We know that the deployment ban framework is anchored on the alert level system, alert level set also by the Department of Foreign Affairs and this is in accordance with the law," Cacdac explained.
"So, wala pa tayo sa Alert Level Two, so technically, wala pa tayong deployment ban sa ngayon," the DMW officer-in-charge said.
Cacdac said that the Philippines deploys an average of 1,800 hotel workers to Israel under a government-to-government arrangement.
