The Philippine government has halted the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in India after the Department of Foreign Affairs declared the latter a “non-compliant destination country.”
On Tuesday, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) officer-in-charge Bernard Olalia confirmed that the deployment ban took effect on Dec. 5 after the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi flagged the country for not being compliant with any of the Philippines’ three conditions for the deployment of worker.
"Isa po rito na napaka-importante, dapat may mga batas po sila, ‘yung tinatawag nating domestic or local laws, that protect the rights of Filipino migrant workers. Unfortunately, napag-alaman po ng DFA wala po silang ganon," Olalia said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
(One of the most important is that they have a law, the one we call domestic or local law, that protects the rights of Filipino migrant workers. Unfortunately, the DFA learned they don't have that.)
He added that India has also not signed or ratified the 1990 UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers, despite expressing support for it.
Olalia also added that the country doesn't have a bilateral labor agreement with India.
Based on POEA data, there are currently under 2,000 documented temporary Filipino migrants in India.
