Duterte to meet 1,400 Filipinos in
Jerusalem; working conditions of OFWs in
September 2, 2018, 3:12 PM
JERUSALEM, Israel — President Duterte is
expected to meet some 1,400 Filipinos here as he
kicked off his historical visit to the Holy Land
Sunday evening Israel time.
In an interview with Philippine Ambassador to Israel
Nathaniel Imperial, because of limitations of space,
only around 1,400 Filipinos out of the some 29,000
are expected to meet the President at the Ramada
Hotel in Jerusalem around 8 p.m. here.
However, he said Filipinos in the Holy Land are
excited to meet the President.
“Well the President won by a landslide in the last
elections in Israel. And they are very excited,” he
said.
Duterte was supposed to make his trip to Jerusalem
last year but had to postpone his plans due to the war
in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur last year.
“He was supposed to come in May of last year. But
because of the Marawi incident, he had to postpone
his overseas travel,” he said.
“And so this is a fulfillment of that promise. And
they are very excited, they are ecstatic, and we
expect a very good crowd when the President meets
the Filipino community upon his arrival on Sunday,”
he added.
Imperial said that of the 29,000 Filipinos working
and living in Israel, 24,000 of them are caregivers of
the elderly and disabled children in the Holy Land.
“In a way, you can say that we are helping Israel
cope with an aging population,” he said.
Imperial also commended the working conditions of
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Israel as one of
the best in the Middle East.
“We are very happy to report that the labor
conditions in Israel are some of the best in the
Middle East. Our workers here receive the highest
minimum wage in all of the Middle East. And they
have days off, they have the right to worship and
practice their faith,” he said.
“As you know this is the Holy Land. It’s a special
place for Filipino Christians and they’re having a
very good time here and enjoying their work even
though it’s a very difficult and demanding type of
work, caregiving,” he added.
Imperial also said the rights and welfare of OFWs
are being promoted and protected by the Israeli
government, making the job of the Embassy a lot
easier.
“It’s very different from the condition of our workers
in other parts of the Middle East. But we do provide
our regular services to them,” he said.
Among the services provided by the embassy are
Post-Arrival Orientation Seminar where OFWs are
informed of the unique culture of the Jews in Israel,
and the importance of respecting their religious
practices. Emergency assistance is also being
provided.
Imperial said the Embassy is also helping negotiate a
bilateral labor agreement in Israel to make sure that
OFWs are not charged illegal and exorbitant, even
exploitative, placement fees and recruitment fees.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs
(DFA), a memorandum of agreement on the
employment of Filipino caregivers is one of the
accords expected to be signed during Duterte’s visit
here.