THE Philippines won’t ban the deployment of Filipino workers in Hong Kong amid street protests that have become more violent each day, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told a briefing yesterday.
“There’s no deployment ban,” he said, adding that the Labor department’s advice is for Filipino workers in Hong Kong to avoid places where there are protests.
But Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III is monitoring the situation in Hong Kong and studying the possibility of banning deployment.
“The president will always be concerned when the safety of our countrymen is at stake,” he added.
Mr. Bello told reporters on Monday a Filipino worker had been arrested in Hong Kong after he was accused of participating in a street protest.
The semi-autonomous Chinese city has been rocked by unrest since early June, and authorities are struggling to contain demonstrations that have become more violent.
The protests were sparked by an extradition bill that would allow suspects to be sent to China for trial. — ALB
