Security firms in Iraq keen to recruit Filipinos

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Foreign security services are trying to illegally recruit active police and military men for deployment in the security services in Iraq, Gulf News reported on Friday. “Their offer is an initial payment of 20,000 pesos (Dh1,666). The rest of their salary is to be negotiated when they reach Baghdad,” a source told Gulf News. Foreign security groups are keen to recruit active police and military men whom they can further train outside the country, said a source. It is illegal for foreigners to conduct armed training inside the Philipines, and locals are not allowed to work inside Iraq. The source, a 34-year-old government investigator, admitted that he was offered a job but declined the foreign group’s offer. Members of US-led allied forces in Iraq have been hiring security guards and drivers from the Philippines. “The foreign recruiters are not being arrested because they do not give training and they do not process recruitment and travel papers in Manila,” the source explained. “Those who dare to give armed training in Manila for deployment in Iraq are protected by influential officials,” said the source. Earlier, there were reports that just retired police and military men were being trained for deployment to Iraq. The Philippine government currently has a travel ban on overseas workers going to Iraq. Roy Cimatu, presidential special envoy to the Middle East, has recommended the adoption of stricter measures to prevent Filipino workers from being sent to the war torn country, following reports that workers have been illegally sent there. Sources report that there are more than 5,000 Filipinos in Iraq. SH (S) 1