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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Pinoys in Lebanon may lose jobs following blast, says recruitment consultant

Pinoys in Lebanon may lose jobs following blast, says recruitment consultant

Published Aug 6, 2020 03:06 pm

A recruitment consultant is not discounting the possibility of overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon being displaced following the huge explosions there Tuesday.

A man wearing a protective mask against the coronavirus stands across the road from the damaged grain silos of Beirut's harbor August 5, 2020, one day after a powerful twin explosion tore through Lebanon's capital, resulting from the ignition of a huge depot of ammonium nitrate at the city's main port. (Photo by STR / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)

"Conservatively, about 500 to 700 OFWs may lose their jobs, especially with thousands of household service workers (HSWs) working in the condominiums and apartments, which were totally demolished by the huge explosions," Manny Geslani said in an interview Thursday.

He added that the number could even reach 2,000 or more depending on the loss of homes of employers.

If that happens, he said, displaced OFWs may be forced to return home to the Philippines.

"They will now have to leave Lebanon with no more houses for their employers and some business establishments destroyed," said Geslani.

Even Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said job displacement in Lebanon is possible but minimal.

The strong explosion at the Port of Beirut, Lebanon caused the death of at least 70 people including two Filipinos. It also injured thousands.

The Labor department on Wednesday said that necessary assistance will be extended to the families of the two Filipinos who died in the blast.

It will also expedite the release of appropriate insurance and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) benefits for all victims of the tragedy.

There are more than 33,000 Filipinos in Lebanon. Nearly 20,000 of them documented workers while more than 11,000 undocumented.

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