Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said there is no need for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) leaving for the UAE to get vaccinated.
Bello said the department has not made any recommendation to make mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for OFWs.
“There has been no decision to recommend to the Inter-Agency Task Force that all deployed OFWs need to be vaccinated,” he said in a virtual briefing.
Bello said that vaccinating OFWs before leaving the country was only brought up during a high-level meeting with UAE officials on the deployment of household workers.
“So it is not a condition. It is a suggestion, and the reaction is looking positive there,” Bello noted.
Last week, the Philippines and UAE signed a new bilateral labor agreement to pave the way for the deployment of Filipino workers to UAE.
“To our HSWs, you now have another employment opportunity. We both know the track record of UAE is good in terms of treatment of our OFWs,” Bello said.
“With this opening, you are free to go there, but it’s better if you are vaccinated before you leave for there, but if not, we will not stop you. We know that you need work. We just want to see to it that when you go there and work, you are well protected,” he added.
