Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople announced Friday, August 12, that the department was closely watching the situation of thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Taiwan, Israel, and Macau due to recent conflicts and an upsurge of Covid-19 infections.
“Life is returning to normal especially in areas that are of high risk to our OFWs due to recent events in Taiwan and Israel,” Ople said.
According to Ople, Philippine Labor Attache David Des Dicang reported that they were able to speak to 30 OFWs (one teacher and 29 caretakers) out of the 49 Filipinos in Kinmen Island, which is located six kilometers away from Xiamen, mainland China and almost 300 kilometers away from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
“They are all safe and under the care of their employers,” Ople said.
Ople remained optimistic that tensions in the said countries will ease in the coming days while labor attaches were directed to remain vigilant and visible to OFW communities, employers, and other stakeholders.
Tension between Taiwan and China sparked anew after United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the former last August 2 to 3. In response, China launched military drills close to Taiwan which eventually concluded as announced by Beijing on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government is dealing with a heightened conflict against Palestinian militant group Hamas, where both countries exchange military offensives.
In Macau where the government struggled due to a recent spike in Covid-19 infections, Ople assured that the OFWs would be reinstated to work after the lifting of suspension order for non-essential businesses.
Ople said she was in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through the Office of the Undersecretary on Migrant Affairs (OUMWA) as both departments work together to assist the affected OFWs. (Jun Marcos Tadios)