DFA mulls downgrade of Myanmar's alert level status

MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs is considering downgrading the alert level status in Myanmar following an appeal from overseas Filipino workers there.

Alert Level 4 was raised in Myanmar in May 2021 due to political unrest and instability caused by the military's takeover of the government.

"First, I can say most certainly we are considering [lowering] the alert level. We can't completely lift the alert level and make it back to normal situation where we could deploy Filipino workers," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told ANC's "Headstart" Thursday.

"But certainly, we can recommend to the DMW (Department of Migrant Workers), which issues the final resolution about it, allowing Filipinos who are already legally working in Myanmar to return to Myanmar if they come to the Philippines," he added.

The DFA will head to Myanmar later this month to meet Filipinos there.

A group of Filipinos in Yangon have insisted that while the movement is still limited in Myanmar, the situation there is back to normal.

• OFWs in Myanmar urge PH gov't to downgrade Alert Level 4 status

De Vega will be in Yangon on June 29.

"The department is now already reviewing and it's only a matter of sending our recommendations, but we want to be absolutely sure that the situation is really safe," he said.

De Vega said the Philippine government is considering the situation of Filipino workers who are working legally in Yangon and those working as human trafficking victims.

"The best we can do is to allow those who are already working to return, even those who worked before," he said.

"But there will be no new deployment of new jobs to Myanmar... not yet because precisely there's human trafficking."

Over 400 Filipinos continue to work in Myanmar even after a military junta deposed an elected civilian government years ago.

Among them is Jeff Libid, who works as a manager for pharmaceutical company.

"We couldn't return home because we fear that we won't be allowed to go back to our jobs in Myanmar. We have responsibilities here. And of course, it will be harder for our families if we lose our jobs," he told ABS-CBN News in April.

Under Alert Level 4, repatriation is mandatory and all types of Filipino workers are prohibited from being deployed.

Aside from Myanmar, the Philippines has also raised Alert Level 4 in countries like Sudan, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

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