Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said both the Foreign Affairs and Labor departments should require Filipinos who are working under contract with suppliers of US military and civilian forces to go to the nearest Philippine embassy prior to their travel to Iraq.

Filipinos who regularly travel to Iraq by land from their bases in nearby countries, such as drivers of supply trucks who dart in and out of Iraq from supply depots in Kuwait and Jordan, should register with the nearest RP consulate, Villar said.

“We must always keep tabs with our Overseas Filipino Workers and Filipino soldiers in Iraq. They are risking their lives in Iraq in exchange for a promise of a better life. And with the millions of dollars that they remit annually to the country which helps the economy afloat, the least we could is to ensure their safety,” Villar stressed.

To facilitate the list-up, Villar urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to open a hotline where families of Filipinos who work in or frequently travel to Iraq can phone in information about the nature of their relatives business in Iraq.

“Or the DFA  can open a desk in its main offices in Pasay City  where relatives can submit vital information about the affected overseas Filipino workers,” he said.

“This information is vital because when something bad happens on an OFW while in Iraq, some data about him can be retrieved which the DFA can use in planning the appropriate action,” he said.

“We also need a census of Filipinos in Iraq so we can prepare contingency plans that would address unfavorable developments that may unfold in that country,” he said.

A count of OFWs in the country recently wracked by violence is needed for “budgeting purposes,” Villar added.

Villar also urged the DFA and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to undertake a massive information drive that would advise Filipinos who are being hired by US contractors to demand “risk insurance and protection” as part of their employment package, given the unstable situation in the country.

By getting that insurance cover, the Philippine government would be spared of the costs that will be incurred in securing the safety and liberty of Filipinos who may be caught in distressful situations in Iraq.

Villar said “Filipinos who risk life and limb by working with US suppliers in Iraq should not be blamed for doing so because they would not be dodging bombs in Iraq if there were lots of jobs in the Philippines in the first place.”