By Leslie Ann G. Aquino

For a Catholic prelate, health care workers who have existing employment contracts should still be allowed to be deployed abroad.

Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos, vice chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People, said this amid the temporary ban on the deployment of health workers abroad.

“For those who have previous contracts and employment, they should be allowed to continue and deployed abroad. Existing contracts should be honored,” he said in an interview.

Santos said these workers are also the country’s contribution to the world amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Those who have worked abroad and continuing because of their previous contracts are now our contribution for care, healing and cure to the world affected by this COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

As for the deployment of new health care workers, Santos believes it should be suspended as they are also needed here.

“There should be temporary suspension for the new Filipino healthcare workers,” he said.

“We need them here, and there are jobs here,” added Santos.

Earlier, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) ordered that the deployment of selected health care workers be temporarily suspended until the national state of emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak is lifted.

According to the POEA, the order is necessary as the country’s health facilities, personnel, and other resources are currently under severe strain due to the increasing number of persons affected by the COVID-19.