Thousands of healthcare workers were allowed to leave the country despite the temporary suspension of deployment, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
"Based on our data...we were able to deploy some 10,000 healthcare workers, particularly nurses, that are Balik-Manggagawa," POEA administrator Bernard Olalia said during the online forum of the Department of Labor and Employment Wednesday.
He said these are those who went on vacation during the Yuletide Season.
"We continue to allow them, our Balik Manggagawa, to leave," said Olalia.
He said healthcare workers hired under government-to-government agreements as well as those deployed by recruitment agencies have also been able to leave.
"The government hires, or those deployed on the basis of bilateral labor relations, we had some 550 nurses in the pipeline for the year," said Olalia.
"Those deployed by licensed recruitment agencies, if they were able to perfect their contracts, first by March 8, then now by August 31, we allow them to leave," he added.
It was in April when the POEA imposed a deployment ban for selected types of health workers citing the dwindling human resources in local hospitals and medical facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the list are medical doctor/physician, nurse, microbiologist molecular biologist, medical technologist, clinical analyst, respiratory therapist, pharmacist, laboratory technician, X-ray/radiologic technician, nursing assistant/nursing aide, operator of medical equipment, supervisor of health services and personal care, and repairman of medical-hospital equipment.
The IATF later ordered the exemption of healthcare workers with perfected and signed contract as of March 8 from the deployment ban imposed by the POEA.
Last month, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III endorsed the recommendation of the POEA to allow the deployment of health care workers with completed contracts as of August 31 to the IATF following the appeal of nurses and medical workers.
Malacanang later announced that healthcare workers with complete documents, as of August 31, are now allowed to be deployed.