Suspension of Domestic Worker Deployment to Jordan Partially Lifted

Filipino household service workers returning to work with the same employer in Jordan have been exempted from the temporary suspension order earlier imposed against the deployment of HSWs to that country.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque has issued Department Order No. 93-08, Series of 2008, granting the partial exemption, “provided that the salary of the returning HSWs shall in no way be lower than the prescribed monthly pay for Filipino household service workers of US$400.”

DOLE, concerned about the growing number of distressed Filipino workers being housed in the Filipino Workers Resource Center in Jordan, earlier issued Department Order No. 88-08, Series of 2008, temporarily suspending the deployment of HSWs to Jordan effective January 21, 2008.

Upon the issuance of the new Department Order, Roque instructed both the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jordan (POLO-Jordan) to resume processing the employment documents of the qualified returning HSWs.

Roque also instructed the POEA and POLO-Jordan to disseminate the information and to monitor the terms and conditions of employment of the HSWs returning to the same employers in Jordan.

DOLE set the monthly pay of HSWs to US$400 to ensure that only legitimate and capable employers can avail of the services of Filipino HSWs and eventually eliminate abuse and exploitation against them.