Manila: The Philippine government, in collaboration with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, has committed to enhancing the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), specifically targeting the approximately 40,000 Filipino household workers employed in Jordan.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Migrant Workers announced that Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, during a ministerial meeting with Jordan's Minister of Labor Khalid Mahmoud Al-Bakkar, advocated for reforms under the Enhanced Reform Program for Filipino Domestic Workers. The program outlines crucial measures such as increasing the minimum wage from USD400 to USD500, implementing a mandatory 'know your employer' protocol before deployment, establishing a digital welfare monitoring system, conducting annual medical check-ups for domestic workers, enforcing a stricter whitelisting policy for ethical recruitment, and enhancing support services for Filipino workers.
Cacdac noted in an earlier interview that these reforms demonstrate a commitment to decent work, ethical recruitment, and strengthened welfare mechanisms for Filipino domestic workers abroad. He highlighted that the initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to champion OFW protection. Al-Bakkar expressed Jordan's readiness to collaborate with the Philippines in upholding the dignity and welfare of migrant workers.
During their first Joint Committee Meeting (JCM), Manila and Amman adopted a Joint Statement on Labor Cooperation after reviewing their existing Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation signed in 2018. The review included the Cooperation Framework on the Employment of Domestic Workers. Key measures from the review include revising employment contracts for domestic workers to ensure rest days, fair wages, annual leave, and adequate food provisions; prohibiting passport confiscation and ensuring workers' right to retain personal documents; introducing end-of-service benefits for domestic workers; establishing a joint database for worker deployment, contracts, and transfers; and evaluating the salary framework for hotel workers.
The DMW noted that both nations also discussed assistance for workers facing immigration-related concerns, such as legalizing undocumented workers, settling overstay penalties for expired residence permits or Iqama, and addressing the non-renewal of work permits or Tassreh.
Jordanian Ministry of Labor Secretary General Abdel Haleem Dojan welcomed the meeting as a vital step in advancing bilateral cooperation and ensuring alignment with international labor standards. The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to promoting ethical recruitment, fair migration, and decent work while working together to combat trafficking, address irregular migration, and create safer, more dignified labor mobility pathways.
Migrant Workers Undersecretary Jainal Rasul Jr. emphasized that adopting the Joint Statement is a precursor to the 50th anniversary of the Philippines-Jordan partnership.
