Question & AnswerQ&A (POEA GOVERNING BOARD Resolution NO. 21, S. 2014)
Republic Act 10022 authorizes the POEA Governing Board, after consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to terminate or impose a ban on the deployment of migrant workers in pursuit of national interest or when public welfare so requires.
The suspension was based on the unstable peace and order situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, as recommended by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
It partially lifted the deployment ban, allowing workers inside American military camps and facilities to finish their existing contracts which can be extended or renewed onsite, and allowed those returning to the Philippines before contract expiration to be redeployed to finish their contracts.
It imposed a total ban on the processing and deployment of all returning/vacationing OFWs bound for Afghanistan, while maintaining the deployment ban on new hires to Afghanistan from the 2007 resolution.
Exemptions were granted to Filipinos employed by diplomats, foreign embassies, missions, United Nations, and other International Organizations; those working inside American and NATO military camps and for American and NATO contractors; those working for the Afghan government; and OFWs married to Afghan nationals.
They must have existing valid contracts and must be issued letters of guarantee/undertaking from their employers ensuring their safety, security, and repatriation if the situation deteriorates and their lives are in imminent danger.
It was enacted by the POEA Governing Board chaired by Secretary of Labor and Employment Rosalida Dimapilis-Baldoz, with Vice-Chair POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, and members Felix M. Oca, Estrelita S. Hizon, Alexander E. Asuncion, and Milagros Isabel A. Cristobal.
The resolution was adopted on August 1, 2014, and filed on August 13, 2014, and took effect immediately for compliance.
Employers must provide letters of guarantee or undertakings ensuring the worker's safety, security, and commitment to repatriate the worker if the situation in Afghanistan worsens and endangers their lives.