MANILA—About 3,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are expected to fly to Israel for work, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Thursday, after his agency lifted a suspension order on the deployment of migrant workers to the country.

"Any time now, mag-aalisan mga 3,000 (will leave)," Bello told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

"Ang daming kailangan doon na [There is a huge demand] caregivers, hotel workers at farm workers."

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) suspended the deployment of its migrant workers to Israel in May 2021 after the conflict erupted between Israelis and Palestinians near Gaza.

• Philippines lifts temporary suspension of OFW deployment to Israel

Bello said the suspension of deployment was lifted as the situation in the Middle Eastern nation has stabilized.

"'Yung assessment ng Labor attaché namin sa Israel na medyo tumahimik na ang sitwasyon doon at ligtas na ang ating OFW," he said.

(The assessment of our Labor attaché shows that the situation in Israel has mellowed and it is now safe for our OFWs.)

"That and an advisory from our Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na OK na at lifted na yung kanilang alert Level 3 so puwede nang magpadala (we can send workers there," he said.

About 29,000 Filipinos work in Israel and 91 in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, according to the DFA.

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