POEA administrator Bernard Olalia (File photo)
MANILA – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) announced that some 400 home-based caregivers are bound for Israel this month despite the conflict in the Jewish state.
In a virtual forum on Wednesday, POEA chief Bernard Olalia said the deployment of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is a government-to-government agreement.
“Our first batch (consists of) 400 caregivers. They are home-based going to under the bilateral labor agreement,” he added.
He added that their Israeli counterparts assured that these caregivers will not be brought to the areas affected by the tensions between Israeli forces and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Olalia also assured that they will continue to monitor the situation of the OFWs in the host country.
“They were employed in residential areas and will stay indoors. They are secured and we will monitor them. In case we received reports that they are in danger, we will repatriate them immediately,” he said.
He said the application for the second batch of caregivers to be deployed in Israel is open.
Israel is in need of at least 500 caregivers.
Olalia added that while the requirement on the educational attainment has been lowered from second-year college level to high school graduate, applicants must possess skills related to the job.
“They need to have an NC (National Certification) 2 or they have finished the training for caregivers or they have skills related to the job they are applying. Aside from the educational requirement, skills and experience requirements are also important,” he said.
NC 2 is a technical-vocational program that develops the knowledge and skills of students on various aspects of caregiving.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority is giving free training on the program. (PNA)
