The Philippine government has agreed to lift the deployment ban to Oman once the country formally removes the travel restrictions imposed on overseas Filipino workers or OFWs.
POEA administrator Bernard Olalia said in a Laging Handa briefing that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III met with Oman Ambassador to the Philippines Munther Mahfoodh Salem Al-Mantheri and they discussed the travel ban and deployment suspension between the two countries.
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Olalia said that the Omani government agreed to remove the travel ban as long as the Philippine government will lift the deployment suspension.
“Kapag nagkaroon na ng lifting sa Oman at tayo ay nag-lift na, ora mismo, makakapagpadala na tayo ng OFWs muli sa bansang Oman,” Olalia said.
In a separate interview, Bello said that the meeting with the Omani ambassador was productive.
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“Maganda ang nangyari kagabi. Nagkaroon kami ng Zoom meeting ni Ambassador Al-Mantheri ng Oman, at sabi niya, ‘yung kanilang ban, ire-recommend niyang i-lift,” he said.
Bello said that Oman is home to almost 200,000 Filipinos. (TDT)
