DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd ordered a temporary ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) following reports that the workers were made to pay for all expenses related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) upon their arrival in the oil-rich country.

Bello, in a memorandum addressed to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Chief Bernard Olalia, said his order is effective immediately and until further notice.

'The Department received reports that departing OFWs are being required by their employer/foreign recruitment agencies to shoulder the costs of the health and safety protocol for Covid-19 and insurance coverage premium upon their entry in the Kingdom,' the memorandum, dated May 27, 2021, reads.

Recruitment consultant Lito Soriano, president, LBS E-Recruitment Solutions, Inc., urged Bello to reconsider the suspension of deployment of OFWs to KSA, saying that it was an illegal order because only the POEA governing board or the President can declare a ban on deployment.

He cited Republic Act 10022, which states that suspension or ban on deployment is the prerogative of the POEA Governing Board through a Board Resolution, adding that the DoLE secretary has no authority to issue such an order even if he is the chairman of the governing board.

A copy of the controversial memorandum was leaked to the media.

Rolly Francia, DoLE information chief, did not admit or deny the existence of the memorandum, saying that the labor department is coming out with an official statement.