Middle East unrest not stopping hopeful OFWs

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—A top regional labor official said on Wednesday that Filipino job seekers in southern Mindanao continue to prefer working in Middle East countries despite the unrest gripping job destinations there.

Pinky Agdamag, head of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in southern Mindanao, said the lure of earning higher salaries was the common motivation driving Filipino job seekers to risk life and limb in conflict-ridden countries.

“The high salary remains the main reason Filipinos do not fear working abroad even in critical areas,” Agdamag said.

She said the POEA has already processed the applications of 14,451 job seekers since January. Last year, she said, POEA processed 12,460 applications for overseas jobs.

“The number of Filipinos applying for work even in critical areas is consistently increasing,” she said.

Agdamag said the United Arab Emirates, which included the restive Bahrain, topped the list of favored destinations for Filipino job seekers.

Even war-torn Libya in Africa and another politically restive Middle East country, Syria, landed on the list of countries that Filipinos wanted to work in, she said.

Agdamag said most of the applications the POEA processed were for the services sector. Judy Quiros, Inquirer Mindanao