The Philippines has requested Thailand to grant overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs) displaced by the tsunamis at least six months extension to give them
ample time to look for alternative jobs.
The Department of Foreign Affairs Wednesday said the employment contracts of
OFWs working in the hotels and resorts hit by the tsunamis have been
pre-terminated following the disaster that hit southwestern Thailand and other
countries on the Indian Ocean.
"In line with this task, the Philippine embassy has made representations with
the employers of the displaced OFWs to ensure that their salaries, benefits and
other entitlements are paid in accordance with their contracts or the laws of
Thailand," the DFA said in a statement.
The embassy has also requested that OFWs be given priority for employment by
hotels and tourism-related service companies who are in need of staff.
Meanwhile, ambassador to Thailand Antonio Rodriguez informed the DFA that six
of the 16 fatalities with Filipino-sounding names were not Filipinos.
He also said that the embassy task force will continue to closely coordinate
with Thai authorities to ascertain the nationalities of these name.
According to the DFA, as of Wednesday, the list of Filipino tsunami victims
in Thailand include five fatalities, 12 declared missing and five whose
whereabouts are unknown.
