A contingency plan to ensure the safety of the over 3,000 Filipino workers in Yemen is already in place in anticipation of the need for them to be evacuated in case of escalation of conflict in that country, according to Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor, envoy of the Philippines accredited to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. “Our more than 3,000 workers in Yemen, mostly nurses and other medical staff, are safe; we are monitoring their situation. We are also checking as well the development of the conflict in that region, and we are in constant contact with the Yemeni embassy in Riyadh,” the ambassador said. He said the situation in Yemen is still very volatile and unstable because of the presence of a number of partisan groups that are not friendly with foreigners. Villamor recalled the hostage taking in June 11 last year of five Filipina nurses along with 21 other staff of the Saadah Hospital who were on their way to attend the Philippines Independence Day celebration in the capital city of Sana'a. “Were it not for the intercession of the husbands of Filipinas married to Yemenis with the tribal leader who abducted our workers, it could have been a difficult situation for our workers,” her said. In addition to the medical staff, engineers and technicians working in Yemen's oil sector, there are also a number of Filipinas who are married to Yemeni nationals, according to the ambassador. In the absence of a Philippine embassy in Yemen, two Filipino organizations have closed their ranks to implement the emergency plan. The contingency measure is being coordinated by Vincent Bellido, finance officer of the Sheraton Hotel in Yemen, who has made available the facilities of the hotel in case of emergency. Villamor said he is will visit Yemen within the next few weeks to personally assess the situation in that country. “We need to know the developments on the ground so that we can focus on what to do in case of evacuation,” he said. The ambassador said he is also visiting Yemen to conduct a census on the actual number of overseas Filipino workers and dependents of Yemenis. “We want to know who left the country and those who are still there,” he said. Villamor said the number of Filipino workers in Yemen has been increasing as the country opens the oil sector to foreign investors. He said Filipino workers are in demand to work in laying oil pipelines and in associated oil and gas industries. He said the upgrade in the country's health sector would also increase the recruitment of Filipino nurses. Because of the increasing number of Filipino workers in Yemen, the Philippine government is planning to appoint an honorary consul to look after the interest of Filipino workers in that country, Villamor said. SG __
