After the controversial death of 10 OFWs in Afghanistan due to a civilian helicopter crash in the Kandahar Area, most of us are wondering on who should take the blame for this accident on a supposed-to-be banned territory for OFW. Some says it’s the Filipino themselves since they know that there is a deployment ban for Filipinos imposed by the Philippine government in this part of the world. Other says it’s the government’s fault since OFWs now are taking their chances even in banned territories – claiming that the government has nothing to offer for jobless Filipinos.

Regardless of whoever should be blamed for this tragic incident, the Department of Labor and Employment is reiterating the ban against deployment of OFWs to Afghanistan. The deployment ban is still in place and will continue to be strongly reiterated and enforced by the government because the peace and order situation in Afghanistan continue to remain unstable. According to DOLE, “there is a need to ensure the continued security and safety of our OFWs by suspending the processing and deployment of Filipino workers bound for these countries” including Afghanistan.

DOLE is also urging OFWs to seek and avail of the legitimate opportunities available through the POEA and licensed recruitment agencies in more than 190 host destinations worldwide rather than defying the ban and going to countries like Afghanistan.

The POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 08 Series of 2007 which was issued on December 17, 2007 imposes total ban on the processing and deployment of Filipino workers not only for Afghanistan but also for Nigeria, Iraq and Lebanon. The issuance of the ban was consistent with the provision of Section 5 of Republic Act No. 8042, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, which “authorizes the government… when the public welfare so requires, to at any point impose a ban on the deployment of migrant workers.”

We all know that we do need to work for ourselves and for our family but we should not defy bans being imposed by the government and risk our lives. There’s more to life than just dying out there.

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