The Philippine government ordered a total deployment ban of its contract workers to Afghanistan, Lebanon, Nigeria and Iraq. The government had considered the worsening political and peace and order situations in the four countries mentioned. It was recalled that the Philippine government had banned its nationals to work in Iraq after one its OFW was kidnapped by the insurgents in 2004.
The three counties were added to the list partly because of the on going political strife and insurgency related violence that makes it dangerous to all Filipino workers. Despite of the total deployment ban being implemented by the authorities, undocumented workers keep on applying for jobs in those countries.
In Afghanistan, there are about 500 OFW mostly working in US Military Facilities. Last December, Afghanistan was deemed unsafe to OFW and the deployment ban came into force. In Iraq, thousands of undocumented Filipino workers spread all over the US Military Facilities. There are 20,000 documented workers in Lebanon but two times that number are undocumented and at risk of being caught in the violence.
In Nigeria, there are a number of professional Filipino workers. But lately the Philippine authorities released an order banning all contract workers in Nigeria after a Filipino was killed in the on going strife in that African country.