26 November 2014 – Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz met with her Qatari counterpart, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Saleh al-Khulaifi, on November 22 as part of her visit to Doha from November 21 to 23.
Accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente R. Relacion, Labor Attaché Leopoldo B. De Jesus, DOLE Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III, First Secretary and Consul Gonaranao B. Musor, DOLE Director Nicon Fameronag, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Kristine F. Bautista, and other POLO representatives, Secretary Baldoz thanked her Qatari counterpart for hosting almost 200,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the country.
In reply, Minister Al-Khulaifi said that OFWs in Qatar are “doing well and liked by their employers.” He added that as proof of Qatar’s appreciation for OFWs, Sidra Medical and Research Center, an ultra-modern and all-digital academic medical center in Doha expected to formally open next year, recently sent its job orders for 500 Filipino medical technicians and nurses.
Secretary Baldoz emphasized President Aquino’s commitment to continuously reform the Philippines’ labor sector. Part of this reform is to professionalize household service workers (HSWs) through the adjustment of their wages and improving their skills and competencies. This initiative is also in preparation for the 2015 ASEAN Integration, which will include the free mobility of labor.
Both sides agreed to convene the 2nd Philippines-Qatar Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) on Labor Matters in January 2015, which Qatar will host. This was a welcome development that is long overdue as the 1st Philippines-Qatar JCM on Labor Matters was held in Bohol way back in March 2009.
The Qatari Minister also expressed interest on forging a cooperation with the Philippines on training and technical cooperation on labor law compliance system. This proposal was sparked by updates given by Secretary Baldoz on the reforms DOLE made on its own inspection system.
Secretary Baldoz also formally inaugurated the new Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Building on November 21, which is near the Embassy Chancery at Onaiza Area in Doha. The new POLO will also house representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Pag-IBIG, and Social Security System (SSS).
During the said event, Secretary Baldoz emphasized in her remarks the strict enforcement of the Household Service Workers Policy Reform Package, which aims to professionalize HSWs and minimize their vulnerabilities.
Secretary Baldoz also urged victims of ‘contract substitution’ in Qatar to come forward and file their complaints with the POLO. She also proposed for POLO to give out awards and incentives to well-performing recruitment agencies and employers.
Secretary Baldoz and the rest of her delegation also took the time to convene an open forum with the Filipino community on November 22 at the Embassy Chancery.
In her opening remarks, Secretary Baldoz updated the Filipino community on the recent economic gains of the Philippines, citing that the country is no longer known as ‘the sick man or basket case of Asia.’ She added that part of this sustainable economic development of the country is the Aquino administration’s focus on social services when it comes to budget allocation.
Apart from the above priorities, Secretary Baldoz also reported that the Aquino administration also recognizes the role of OFWs in the Philippines’ economic development. She also cited the reverse migration slowly happening in the Philippines as more OFWs are exploring the option of staying in the Philippines rather than going back overseas.
Open Forum with representatives of various recruitment agencies
Before her departure on November 23, Secretary Baldoz attended an open forum with representatives of various recruitment and manpower agencies, which was held at the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Among the issues raised were the purported delays in the deployment of OFWs to Qatar. Both Baldoz and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac assured the body that the Philippines employs a streamlined system for the processing of the documents of OFWs. Part of this streamlined process is an ISO-certified system and consultation with Philippine recruiters on the so-called ‘grey areas’ in the streamlining.
The other issue raised by the Association of Recruitment Agencies was the limited accreditation of two (2) Philippine placement agencies that the Qatari agencies could do business with. According to Secretary Baldoz, as part of the incentive system introduced by DOLE, foreign placement agencies with good records could be given multiple accreditations based on criteria to be promulgated by POLO in consultations with Qatar recruitment agencies.
Qatar was Secretary Baldoz’s first stop in a Middle East tour to evaluate the conditions of POLOs and the Migrant Workers and other Overseas Filipino Resource Centers (MWOFRCs) in the region, as well as touch base with the Filipino communities and recruitment agencies. Her succeeding stops will be in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Secretary is also expected to personally hand over the chairmanship of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) from the Philippines to Kuwait during the 3rd Ministerial Consultation of ADD in Kuwait from November 26 to 27. ADD brings together the Colombo Process countries (i.e., Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, plus Yemen and two additional Asian countries of destination, namely Malaysia and Singapore. END