MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to tension-gripped Hong Kong will continue, said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who described the situation in the special administrative region of China as stable.
鈥淚n the meantime wala muna (deployment ban). No cause for alarm, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang deployment,鈥� Bello said in a weekly press forum on Wednesday.
鈥淰ery stable ang situation so continuous ang deployment pa rin,鈥� he added.
Bello said the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) would continue monitoring the situation in Hong Kong.
鈥淵ung worry na baka mag-issue kami ng deployment ban eh, medyo far-fetched pa yan pero we are continuously monitoring the situation of Hong Kong,鈥� he said.
鈥淒epende sa advise ng DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) because it鈥檚 the DFA that鈥檚 in a better position to determine when to raise the alert level, pag umabot yan ng 3, 鈥榶an magmi-meeting governing board ng POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) and they may declare a deployment ban,鈥� he added.
OFW freed
Meanwhile, Bello said the Filipino who was detained after Hong Kong police arrested him for alleged participation in a protest in Mong Kok over the weekend has been bailed out.
鈥淵ung Pilipino na nahuli鈥ortunately late last night or even earlier, na-bail out na siya for 2,000 Hong Kong dollars,鈥� he said.
READ: Hong Kong police detains Filipino for allegedly participating in protest聽
READ: Arrested Filipino in Hong Kong in fine condition 鈥� DFA聽
Bello reiterated the Philippine government鈥檚 reminder to Filipinos in Hong Kong to avoid areas where protests are being held.
Over the past two months, some streets in Hong Kong have been the site of massive pro-democracy protests calling for the withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill, among others.
Hong Kong authorities have arrested more than 20 people for unlawful assembly and assault after confrontations between protesters and law enforcement authorities.