The Philippines will continue deploying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Guinea.
In a resolution released on Monday, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s (POEA) Governing Board said the decision was made upon consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“The POEA Governing Board, in a meeting duly convened resolves as it is hereby resolved, to continue the processing and deployment of all OFWs bound for Guinea, subject to the issuance of appropriate advice to Filipino workers therein to take precautionary measures for their safety and well-being,” it said.
The deployment of Filipinos to Guinea was approved after the DFA informed POEA that the African country is now under Alert Level 1 (Precautionary Phase), in a letter dated September 15.
It also mentioned that the Philippine Embassy in Rabat, Morocco is monitoring the developments regarding the political unrest in Guinea and is communicating with the Filipino community to ensure their safety.
The letter was the DFA’s response to the POEA’s request for advice on the alert level in Guinea in light of recent reports on its political and peace and order situation following the Sept. 5 military coup that toppled President Alpha Conde from power.
On February 14, the DFA has maintained the same alert level given the sporadic Ebola virus outbreaks in the country.
The DFA earlier lowered its alert level in Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2015 after the end of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.
In 2016, the POEA Governing Board lifted the deployment ban on Guinea and resumed the processing and deployment of all Filipino workers in view of the lowered DFA alert level. (PNA)
