The Philippine government on Tuesday announced the suspension of further deployment of Filipino workers to Qatar due to the recent diplomatic crisis that has hit the Gulf Arab states.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the suspension is only temporary and will not affect workers with existing contracts, of which there are believed to be more than 140,000.
Saudi Arabia and several of its allies on Monday cut ties with Qatar because of accusations that the gas-rich Gulf has been supporting terrorism and destabilization in the region.
The diplomatic crisis has impacted the Qatari economy, food supply, and job market, among many other things.
“We are forseeing a possible problem in Qatar,” Bello said at a news conference.
“For example, we know for a fact that Qatar does not produce its own food. If anything happens that they run out of food and food riots will take place, definitely our OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers)… will be the first victims,” he said.
According to Reuters, “Bello said there were 141,000 documented Filipino workers in Qatar as of last year, but the total number could surpass 200,000 if those without proper documents are counted.”
With a population of just 2.2 million, Qatar heavily relies on migrant workers, including construction workers hired to build stadiums, hotels and other facilities for the 2022 soccer world cup.
The major sporting event hiked the demand for Overseas Filipino Workers, but it has drawn also controversy over alleged abuse of workers’ rights, including job-related deaths at construction sites.
PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons
