Philippine vice president to visit Mideast

Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay said on Wednesday that he will leave on Friday for the Middle East to look into the situation of Filipinos in the troubled Arab region where parallel demonstrations are ongoing to demand reforms and ouster of leaders.

Binay, concurrent Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) Concerns, is visiting Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to meet with officials and discuss unrest in Middle East and North Africa.

He will discuss labor agreement that aims to improve the conditions of Filipino migrant workers.

While in the region, Binay said he will closely monitor the security situation of OFWs in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen amid protests in those countries.

"We are working very closely with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and our embassies to ensure that all preparation and contingency measures are smoothly implemented," Binay said.

There are around 31,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, 30,000 in Libya and 1,500 in Yemen.

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