• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said on Monday that Israel needs more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a press briefing at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City, Fluss said that there are about 28,000 OFWs in Israel, of which 800 had been repatriated, majority of which due to end of contracts.
“We need tens of thousands of workers in Israel. We brought in workers from India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, but we don’t have OFWs coming into Israel as of this time,” he said.
The Philippine government restricts the further deployment of OFWs into the state of Israel, which was triggered by the Hamas attacks in October 7 at its border in Gaza, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, including Negrense OFW Loreta Alacre.
“We hope that the Philippine government realizes it is now safe, except at the border in Gaza,” Fluss said.
The Israeli envoy, accompanied by his wife and son, visited and met with the family and siblings of Alacre in Barangay Cadiz Viejo, Cadiz City on Friday.
“I want to make sure that they got all the assistance from the Israeli government,” Fluss said.
While Israel is in a war with Hamas and other terror groups, Fluss said it is important for him to recognize the OFWs in Israel, who were victims of the armed conflict.
OFW Jimmy Pacheco, who was among the two Filipino captives freed by Hamas, is now back in Israel, he said.
“I think that is a strong message of trust or sense of belongingness,” Fluss said, stressing that OFWs are being considered as part of the family of Israel.
He said that Israel is a good employer, adding that OFWs are being treated just like its citizens.
All the laws applied in their country are also enjoyed by OFWs such as pension and medical insurance, aside from their salaries and other benefits, he added.
“We don’t discriminate,” said Fluss, who said that their family also employed a Bacolodnon as nanny before.
Fluss said he hopes that the Philippine government will open the doors for more OFWs to work in Israel.
With the war restricted at the Gaza border, he maintained that “everything is fine” in Israel, noting that restaurants, schools, hotels and cinemas are open for business as usual.
Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and other tourist destination areas are open for visitors, he said.
Fluss and his family have been in Negros Occidental since Friday last week, and met with Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, and Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., and visited also the Victorias Milling Company, among other sites in the province. | GB
