The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has banned the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) bound for Ethiopia amid escalating tension in the African country.
On Wednesday, the POEA governing board issued its Resolution 12, Series of 2021, imposing a total deployment ban to Ethiopia upon the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
DFA hoisted Alert Level 4 or the evacuation phase in the said African state due to the escalating conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Federal Government of Ethiopia.
The security situation in Ethiopia is expected to deteriorate further as TPLF forces march to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
“Under Alert Level 4, a total ban on the processing and deployment of all workers is imposed and mandatory repatriation of OFWs shall be required and undertaken,” POEA said.
Following the imposition of a total deployment ban, POEA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are now coordinating with licensed agencies, and other concerned entities for the repatriation of OFWs in Ethiopia.
The DFA is also reaching out to OFWs in the said African state through the Philippine embassy in Cairo, Egypt.
Based on DFA data, there are around 800 Filipinos in Ethiopia as of December 2020.