In the latest data of the Philippines Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Dubai, the number of housed Distressed Women Sheltered in POLO’s Resource Center has decreased to four.
From January to June this year, the lowest number of wards housed by POLO was down to two and this month of September, they have a total of four wards only.
The decline in the number of housed, admitted and discharged wards by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) at the Philippine Consulate General can be attributed to several factors according to Labor Attaché John Rio A. Bautista.
One of the several factors for this decrease is the flight restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The number of undocumented workers exiting the Philippines bound for the UAE was deterred by the flight restrictions during the pandemic. This directly resulted to lesser intake of distressed Filipinos at the MWFORC,” said the report of the POLO Office.
Data from the POLO-OWWA record shows the increase in number of women housed by POLO, beginning 2016 until its sharp decrease seen in 2021, more than five years later.
Another contributing factor to the decline of number of wards is that most Filipinos who experienced distress or work-related issues with their employers/companies preferred to seek assistance to legally solve their problems rather than to be repatriated.
According to POLO Dubai, this was seen in late 2020 until the rest of 2021 where majority preferred to stay in the UAE and try to find a better job instead of seeking repatriation.
The third factor is the resumption of the deployment of Filipino domestic workers through the proper and legal channels.
“Through the deployment thru proper channels, workers experiencing issues with their employers are assisted by POLO as well as their Foreign Recruitment Agencies (FRAs) in the speedy resolution of their cases,” stated the report.
Labor Attaché John Rio A. Bautista is one of the key individuals who lobbied for the labor agreement between the Philippines and the UAE on the resumption of the deployment of domestic workers.
Since its approval last March 2021, the POLO Dubai has recorded more than 12,000 domestic workers deployed in the country.
Read: More than 7,000 jobs open for OFWs in Dubai
By late 2021 until 2022, it was observed that some distressed Filipinos were recruited through cross-country / third-country recruitment. Most of the times, they are OFWs legally deployed to an employer located in the Middle East. At the end of their contracts, instead of going back to the Philippines, they go to Dubai through the help of the people they meet on social media promising them a better employment.
Data from POLO Dubai also reveals the majority of wards housed at Dubai MWOFRC can be categorized as “undocumented workers”.
Since 2016 until early 2021, this is attributed to the lack of legal/proper channel for deployment of domestic workers. Workers, especially those bound for domestic work, were recruited, and deployed illegally from the Philippines. However, this practice saw a sharp decline during the pandemic period (March 2020 until 2021).”
While the decline can be greatly attributed with the implementation of legal channels for domestic workers employment, POLO Dubai remains watchful and ready now that travel restrictions are easing up.
“It is too early to conclude that this trend will be constant, considering the new UAE visa policies for tourists, easing of restrictions on travel, and availability of jobs in the UAE,” said the report.
