The Department of Labor and Employment has clarified that there is no order for an employment ban or mandatory repatriation for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III issued the clarification following reports of false social media posts saying that the government has imposed mandatory repatriation of OFWS due to massive protests and unrest in the country.
Bello said DOLE has yet to receive an advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on the alert level that would require a mandatory repatriation.
“Right now, there is no communication from DFA and even from the consulate of Hong Kong regarding the possibility of repatriation, either voluntary or mandatory. We are in close coordination with DFA for any development,” Bello said in a statement.
Bello also added that the labor attaché in Hong Kong gives updates on the date, time, and venue of the protests on a 24/ 7 basis.
“Bello encouraged the public to ignore the proliferation of fake news on social media and in other web pages and rely on the advisories and news bulletin issued by the Philippine consulate and by DOLE,” the statement added.
“I urge the public to ignore this fake news on the internet. For those spreading it, please stop and let us not aggravate the situation and endanger our OFWs. We should help our OFWs there by not giving them false news about [mandatory] repatriation,” Bello explained.
The Labor chief adds that no OFW in Hong Kong has expressed willingness to come back home or avail repatriation programs.
