By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The local Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) office said they are prepared to evacuate all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Qatar, after several Arab nations cut ties with the gulf state earlier this week.
DOLE-Negros Island Region (DOLE-NIR) assistant director Jason Balais said the office is presently monitoring the situation.
In the event OFWs are required to return home due to the current situation, Balais said they are prepared to provide assistance to the displaced workers by finding them a suitable job replacement.
He also stated, OFWs are still welcome elsewhere in the Middle East and they are appealing to them to choose their jobs carefully.
“In terms of the readiness of our Philippine overseas labor office in Qatar to bring our OFWs back home, we can assure the public they can be brought home if necessary,” Balais said.
Earlier, the Negros Occidental provincial government set up an assistance desk at the Provincial Capitol in response to the ongoing diplomatic crisis surrounding the Middle Eastern nation.
The crisis stemmed from accusations the Qatari Government was supporting various terror groups, including the Islamic State (IS) and Palestinian terror group Hamas.
Qatar was also accused of meddling in the internal affairs of the neighboring Gulf states and aligning themselves with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s primary rival in the Middle East./WDJ