Filipino labor officials to be ‘more gender sensitive’

New labor attaches and welfare workers in the Kingdom will undergo intense and thorough training to develop gender-sensitivity skills, announced the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the Philippines yesterday.
“Gender-sensitivity training is now an important part of the requirement for DOLE officials and employees who will be stationed abroad. We have intensified their training to enable them to properly address gender needs and issues in the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs),” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a statement.
Baldoz added that gender-sensitivity training has always been a part of preparations for all labor attaches and welfare workers. However, DOLE had intensified and made it stricter to avoid such issues, particularly those related to the controversial sex-for-flight scandal.
Eighteen labor attaches and two welfare officers attended training and workshops last week. Sources stated that most of the participants, who are now in the final phase of preparations, would be assigned to Riyadh, Jeddah and other countries in the Middle East.
DOLE already sent four female POLO personnel to the Middle East earlier this week, who also underwent tough procedures. Baldoz stated that sending women personnel in the Middle East would further help Filipino expatriates easily address their problems or inquiries to the consulate since the country has strict rules when it comes to communication with the opposite sex.
Filipinos in different parts of the Kingdom expressed relief and are expecting positive outcomes.
“I hope that the new attaches will be more responsible and will act in accordance with what is right and just,” said Jhonalyn, a Filipino expatriate.