The Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is now considering a ban on deploying workers to Hong Kong amid tensions brought by a string of pro-democracy protests in the city.
DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III told radio station Radyo Inquirer today that he plans to consult Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) organizations regarding the ban he said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration — an agency under the DOLE — is considering.
Bello said that he will meet with one of these organizations today.
However, he said that before implementing the ban, the Department of Foreign Affairs would first need to issue an alert regarding the situation, CNN Philippines reported.
The Labor secretary’s statements come just a few days after a Filipino was arrested in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district on Saturday night for allegedly taking part in the protests. However, the Filipino, who works as a dancer in Hong Kong Disneyland, said that he was simply passing through the rally area on the way to buy food and just so happened to be wearing black like the protesters.
He has since posted bail of HK$2,000 (PHP13,252.65) and was released from detention, Deputy Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong Germinia Aguilar-Usudan told ANC. She said that investigations are still ongoing and that they will know in a few days if the Filipino expat will be permanently released or if charges will be filed against him.
The Philippine Consulate has issued multiple advisories since protests against a controversial Hong Kong bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China started in April. It reiterated this in an advisory posted on Sunday that warned against yesterday’s planned protests. Filipinos in Hong Kong were told to avoid seven rally areas and to not wear black or white clothing.
The string of rallies — which often end in violent clashes, with police officers firing tear gas and protesters hurling projectiles — kicked off in earnest two months ago. At one point, more than two million people were said to have joined the biggest demonstration since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.
A ban on deployment to Hong Kong would greatly affect the livelihood of OFWs. The city, where close to 200,000 Filipinos work, is a top destination for contract workers.
