20 March 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente R. Relacion made a farewell call on the Qatari Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Dr. Abdullah Saleh Al-Khulaifi on March 12 as he winds up his tour of duty.
Ambassador Relacion thanked the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs for the support it has given to the Embassy in its mandate of protecting the rights and promotion of the welfare and interests of overseas Filipinos in Qatar. He also acknowledged with appreciation the 94,289 work visas reserved for prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Qatar which means a huge number of employment opportunities for our kababayans.
The Ambassador also looked forward to the deployment of Filipino labor compliance officers in April who will share their technical expertise to their Qatari counterparts on the reforms the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has made on its own labor inspection system as soon as logistical arrangements have been finalized.
In response, Minister Al-Khulaifi recognized the Embassy’s efforts in furthering labor relations between the Philippines and Qatar by citing recent positive developments, which includes the successful visit of DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz to Qatar on 21 to 23 November 2014, and the convening of the 2nd Joint Committee Meeting on Labor Matters on February 04 to 05 after a six-year hiatus.
On the domestic front, the Labor Minister expressed his pride in the Emir’s recent approval of a Wage Protection System to ensure timely and transparent payment of wages, and was optimistic of the proposed changes to the ‘kafala’ sponsorship system which are being deliberated by the Shura Council, the legislative body of Qatar, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior. All these initiatives reflect Qatar’s commitment to caring for its burgeoning migrant worker population in light of the demand for trained professionals in the country. END