Filipino workers with deployment papers to Israel can now heave a sigh of relief.
This, after Department of Labor and Employment-Information and Publication Service (DOLE-IPS) Director Rolly Francia announced in a virtual press briefing Wednesday afternoon, July 14 that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has recommended to DOLE the lifting of the temporary suspension of deployment on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Israel.
"Congratulations po doon sa ating mga kababayan na nakatalaga na umalis papuntang Israel. Fresh from the horse's mouth ika nga. Mayroon na pong rekomendasyon ang DFA na i-lift na yung temporary suspension (Congratulations to our countrymen who are scheduled to leave for Israel. This is fresh from the horse's mouth, as they say. The DFA has already recommended to lift the temporary suspension)," Francia said.
Francia got wind of the development during his on-air conversation with DOLE-International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) Director Alice Visperas, who was his guest during the briefing-slash-news forum.
"It's just a matter of declaring on the part of POEA at Sec. Bello," Francia said.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA is an attached agency of DOLE.
Just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, DOLE released to reporters a signed copy of the order lifting the suspension of OFW deployment to Israel.
Visperas said the 20 OFW-caregivers who are set to leave for Israel on July 17 could be the first batch of Filipinos that would be sent to the foreign land upon the anticipated lifting of the suspension.
"It ay magiging magandang balita sa kanila (This will be good news to them)," she said.
It was May 20 when Bello halted the deployment process of some 400 caregivers amid the high tension in Israel. Israeli forces and Hamas fighters renewed their hostilities against each other early that month, triggering rocket attacks among other forms of violence.
There are an estimated 30,000 OFWs in Israel.