Firm sees more OFW openings with PGMA visit to Libya

Manila (30 August) — Privately-owned recruitment and placement company Bison Management Corporation (Bison) is hoping President Gloria Arroyo’s two-day visit to Libya on Sept. 1-2 upon the invitation of Libyan Leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi to attend the 40th Anniversary of the Great Al Fateh Revolution will lead to accommodations of more Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

Bison president Belen M. Al-Humayed, whose company’s motto is “Bridging people for a better life”, has successfully deployed more than 100 highly-qualified Filipino professionals, skilled workers and non-skilled workforce in Libya in the past couple of months to further his scope of sending OFWs through out the world — in neighboring Asian countries, Middle East, Europe, Canada, USA, and its territories.

“I’m optimistically hoping that President Arroyo’s visit (to Libya) will sustain the excellent ties between the two countries and our OFWs need this endeavor for the benefits of their Filipino families at home,” said Al-Humayed, whose office located at BMH Centre in 3963 Yague Street, Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Makati City.

“We congratulate Libya in their anniversary. They are OFW-friendly country and we believed their booming economy makes them attracted to foreigners like Filipinos to visit, work or live for good,” Al-Humayed added.

Citing a report from Philippine Labor Attache to Tripoli, Libya Nasser Mustafa, Secretary Marianito Roque of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said five Libyan companies hire the OFWs, mostly in contraction jobs, Bison had deployed in that country since early this year.

Roque proudly said the OFWs from Bison receive a monthly salary, particularly from United Engineering Co. and Amal Africa Catering Co. as much as $1,000 (roughly P48,900) for foreman and $400 (P19,600) to $600 (P29,400) for skilled worker.

The DOLE chief revealed most of the companies in Libya offer free housing accommodation and some companies like Al Taqaniya Al Handasia Al Hadeetha provide with free food and transportation for those workers sent by Bison.

Al-Humayed, a devoted Muslim, said there are also lots of job openings in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates for Filipinos. Recently, Bison looks for waiters, street sweeper operators, safety inspectors, housekeeper supervisor, analysts/programmers, carpenters, civil-supervisor, civil-foreman, electrical engineers, iron workers, land surveyors, masons, scaffolders, scaffolding supervisors, steel fixers, surveying engineers, CNC machine operators, medical technologists, microbiologists, respiratory therapists, painters and decoratives among others.

The Philippines and Libya have established excellent diplomatic ties since 1976. Libya played a major contribution in bringing peace and development in southern Philippines after doing its big part in the conclusion of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and in the 1996 final peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Libya along with Brunei and Japan compose the multinational International Monitoring Team (IMT), which monitors the truce between the military and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as well as credited in reducing the clash between the government troops and the rebel group. (Bison/PIA)