MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Monday (December 9th) banned its citizens from taking new jobs in Yemen after seven Filipino medical workers were killed in a militant attack there, AFP reported.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement the government was also offering to repatriate an estimated 1,000 citizens already employed there as medical workers or construction labourers.

He said the labour department would "impose a total deployment ban", while Filipinos wishing to travel to Yemen for other purposes were advised to postpone their trips.

Thursday's attack on Yemen's defence ministry killed a total of 56 people. Twenty-nine other Filipinos were wounded.

The Philippines condemned the violence as a "senseless and barbaric act" and called on the Yemeni government to hold the masterminds accountable.