An official of the Department of Migrant Workers disclosed that negotiations on the possible lifting of the deployment ban in Saudi Arabia are still ongoing.
Migrant Workers department Assistance Secretary Venecio Legaspi said that the discussions are still ongoing, adding that there will be an advanced team that will go to Saudi Arabia ahead of Secretary Susan Ople.
“At this point, I cannot give a definite response yet because studies and consultations are still ongoing in preparation for the Secretary’s visit to Saudi Arabia,” said Legaspi said in a Laging Handa briefing.
According to the DMW, the ban, which was implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment in November 2021, cost the Philippine government a significant amount of money.
Due to unpaid salaries of overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia, a deployment ban on household service workers was imposed.
On Sunday, the agency reported that 344 “distressed” OFWs were repatriated from Saudi Arabia. There were four OFWs with medical conditions and five with mental illnesses among them.