The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) met with seven Philippine recruitment agencies on Monday to discuss a possible lifting of the deployment ban on newly-hired domestic workers bound for major cities in Pakistan, including Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.

In a statement, the DMW said Tuesday the discussion followed a recommendation from the Department of Foreign Affairs to ease the existing restrictions.

The agency cited that recruitment agencies have not logged welfare or employer-related issues in recent limited deployments, and it found that households hiring Filipino workers are capable of providing decent conditions.

Should the deployment ban be lifted, the agencies committed to imposing safeguards, including a pre-departure orientation seminar with Pakistan-specific modules on culture, personal security and conflict-avoidance communication.

“They also supported strengthened pre-employment screening, enhanced employer commitments, and sufficient insurance coverage for workers,” the DMW said.

The agencies also expressed readiness to launch marketing missions and coordinate with foreign recruitment agencies to pursue a formal memorandum of agreement with Pakistan for the safe and ethical recruitment of Filipino domestic workers.

To recall, the Philippines suspended the deployment of domestic workers to Pakistan in 2018 based on a recommendation from the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad.

The ban was partially lifted in 2023, but only for professional, skilled and semi-skilled workers.