MANILA, 22 April 2004 — The government has confirmed that some 2,500 Filipino workers, who were already working overseas, have been employed at US military bases around Iraq, the Depart of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Spokeswoman Julia Heidemann said the Filipino workers arrived in Iraq from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other neighboring countries, and were working at seven US military bases.

"These Filipinos were brought to Iraq by their employers from the other countries," she said.

They are reported to be working as plumbers, electricians, engineers, nurses, doctors, cooks, hairdressers and maintenance crew in US bases in Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, Balad, Taji, Nasiriyah and Umn Qasr.

The party-list group Migrante International, however, said there could be as many as 4,000 because the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has posted this many job orders in its website.

Heidemann acknowledged the Filipino workers already in Iraq, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency has processed 4,703 job applications in the strife-torn area, Arroyo earlier suspended the deployment of new members of the country's peacekeeping and humanitarian contingent in Iraq following an upsurge in violence and abductions by Iraqi militants.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo earlier ordered the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad to take an "inventory" of Filipinos working in Iraq amid rising violence there.

She also directed Filipino authorities to establish a contact system with Filipino citizens in Iraq in case evacuation became necessary.

Heidemann said the workers have been " dvised to stay within their camp for their safety." The Philippines initially deployed 96 soldiers, policemen and health workers in Iraq, but almost half of them have returned home after completing their tour of duty.

Philippine Charge d'Affaires to Iraq, Ricardo Endaya, urged undocumented and newly hired Filipino workers to register with the embassy.

"This will make it easier for the embassy to locate them in the event of evacuation or relocation," Heidemann said.

A contingency team headed by Ambassador Roy Cimatu, special envoy to the Middle East, is expected to arrive in Baghdad this week to check on the situation in Iraq.

Migrante yesterday warned President Arroyo again not to dip her hands into the funds for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to fund the evacuation of Filipinos in Iraq.

Migrante Secretary-General Maita Santiago said the funds being held by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are in danger of being used for this purpose because last year Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo asked the president for $293,500 to cover "preparatory activities" for the US-Iraq "crisis."

President Arroyo responded by writing "OK charge to OWWA" on the memo.

There are around 1.5 million OFWs in the Middle East. "We hold President Gloria, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas and Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert as being highly negligent because they authorized the deployment of the OFWs without even having a concrete plan for their security in Iraq," said Santiago.

"They should also have been aware that OFWs were being subcontracted to work in Iraq from nearby countries and made plans accordingly. That they're only now beginning to do this is unacceptable. And that President Arroyo still refuses to withdraw her support of the US-UK occupation of Iraq underlines the fact that if any Filipino is hurt there, President Arroyo is very much to blame," she said.