MANILA, 1 August 2004 — The Philippines threatened yesterday to blacklist firms in the Middle East that send Filipino workers to Iraq in a bid to avoid a repeat of its recent embarrassing hostage crisis.
Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas also said 27 overseas labor offices in Saudi Arabia were on alert to ensure Filipino workers in the country do not cross into Iraq without authorization.
The Philippine labor attaché in Iraq would also be looking for Filipino workers who might still enter the war-torn country despite a ban on more Filipinos going to work there.
Santo Tomas said foreign companies which violate the ban could be blacklisted from hiring Filipinos while local employment agencies that fail to inform the workers they could be sent to Iraq, could have their licenses revoked.
This comes after the Saudi government issued an order barring Filipino truck drivers from entering Iraq without special permission.
The order was made to prevent a repetition of the abduction earlier this month of a Filipino truck driver from Saudi Arabia who was threatened with death by Iraqi militants, Santo Tomas said.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was forced to withdraw a 51-member troop contingent serving with US-led coalition forces in Iraq to obtain the release of trucker Angelo dela Cruz.
Her action has since been severely criticized by close allies the United States and Australia, which accused her of encouraging more terror attacks by caving in to the demands of kidnappers.
The Philippines previously barred its workers from going to Iraq in the face of worsening attacks on foreigners there but many Filipinos, like dela Cruz, still cross over from countries adjoining Iraq, attracted by the hefty pay increases offered to those willing to take the risk.
There are still at least 3,000 Filipino civilian workers in Iraq, many of them employed in companies serving the logistics needs of the US-led coalition.
