overseas Filipinos

FAST FACTS: Overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon

Michelle Abad

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Relations between the Philippines and Lebanon are riddled with labor issues and deployment bans

A devastating blast in Beirut, Lebanon on the evening of Tuesday, August 4, sent literal and figurative shock waves as at least 73 were killed and thousands were injured. 

At least two Filipinos are included in the casualties.

How many Filipinos live and work in Lebanon? What are the prevailing issues that affect them?

Here’s a rundown of facts on the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) community in Lebanon:

Demographic

Around 31,916 Filipinos live in Lebanon, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on August 5. 75% of whom reside in Greater Beirut, according to Philippine Foreign Assistant Secretary Ed Meñez.

They are part of the 250,000 foreign laborers in Lebanon – some of which are undocumented.

Prevailing labor issues

Lebanon uses a kafala or sponsorship system that binds workers to one employer. The kafala system also restricts workers from seeking labor protection for unpaid wages, and even leaving the country. Human rights organizations and labor rights groups have criticized the kafala system as enabling a modern day slave trade.

In 2007, the Philippines imposed a deployment ban of Filipino workers to Lebanon. It was lifted in 2012, except for newly hired household service workers with pending contracts.

“Any person who circumvents or attempts to circumvent the ban, or is engaged in illegal recruitment or trafficking in persons will be dealt with the full extent of the law,” reads a September 2018 memo reiterating the measure.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) repatriated OFWs in Lebanon in December 2019 after mass protests erupted over controversial tax measures. Amid the protests, many establishments closed leaving many OFWs jobless or at loss of stable income.

Some of the domestic workers affected had been undocumented for a decade, according to a CNN Philippines report.

In March 2020, the Philippines suspended the deployment of Filipino workers to Lebanon, not because of the looming coronavirus outbreak, but because of the political and economic situation.

The Department of Labor and Employment listed Lebanon as a priority country for OFW repatriation in April.

In May, an apparent suicide of a Filipina domestic worker happened at a Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Beirut. 

Lebanon’s National Human Rights Commission visited the shelter and flagged subpar conditions at the facility. The group said occupancy exceeded the shelter’s capacity, while women and staff needed to receive psychological support and minimum daily exercise requirements.  

International commercial flights to and from Beirut were suspended at the time of the incident.

Philippines-Lebanon ties

Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Lebanon were established in 1946. Up until 1996, the Philippines’ representation in Lebanon was covered by nearby Philippine Embassies in Egypt and Jordan. In 1996, the Philippines assigned its first resident ambassador to Lebanon, Fortunato Oblena.

The POLO in Beirut began to see a rising number of clients around the early 2000s. 

The latest news release on the Philippine Embassy in Beirut’s website reported that the Philippine Chargé D’Affaires to Lebanon Ajeet-Victor Panemanglor paid a courtesy call to Lebanese Labor Minister Lami Yammine in May 2020. They discussed Philippine-Lebanese labor relations, and joint efforts for repatriation.

Help for Lebanon blasts – The Philippine embassy requested Filipinos to contact them if they need assistance following the Lebanon blasts. The embassy provided the following Lebanon-based hotlines: 03859430, 70858086, 81334836, 71474416, and 70681060. – Rappler.com

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Michelle Abad

Michelle Abad is a multimedia reporter at Rappler. She covers the rights of women and children, migrant Filipinos, and labor.