Effective June 1, 2006, domestic helpers can remove Jordan from their list of preferred country of destination as Rosalinda Baldoz, chief of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) recently issued a statement informing the public that hiring of domestic helpers in the said country are suspended. However, job orders verified and authenticated prior to the suspension would still be processed.

According to Baldoz, the decision to stop sending household workers to Jordan for a month was made because of reports of Filipina domestic helpers that experienced abuses from their employers.

Philippine Ambassador to Jordan, Jose del Rosario reported that a growing number of distressed Filipino migrant workers ran away from their employers and sought shelter at the Philippine embassy there.

No information on the number of OFWS that escaped from their employers were provided by Baldoz but she pointed the “escort service” in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as one of the reason for the suspension.

Baldoz said that some airport personnel had been escorting illegal migrant workers past the immigration checks at the airport for a fee. This practice is illegal because it allows improperly documented and unqualified workers to leave the country.

"Time and again, we have warned the public against dealing with illegal recruiters. The escort service in our premier airport is illegal and workers should not fall prey to this modus operandi," she said.