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The Blas F. Ople Policy Center said the country should have a
reintegration plan in place for thousands of returning Filipinos as
the Malaysian government gears up for a massive crackdown on illegal
migrant workers.
“What is certain is that Filipino
workers without proper documentation would soon be sent home,” the
center said.
According to news reports, the Sabah-based
Federal Special Task Force announced that around 250 Filipinos were
held at the Menggatal temporary detention center on Tuesday prior to
deportation via a ferry.
The task force announced that it aims to deport
around 25,000 illegal migrants this year. Filipinos and Indonesians
represent the biggest number of undocumented workers in Sabah.
Malaysia deported nearly 19,000 illegal migrants from Sabah last
year.
The center said a special fund would be needed
by both the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the local
governments in Mindanao to pay for the transportation, food, and
temporary lodging of Filipinos returning from Sabah. Most of the
returnees hail from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and the three Zamboanga
provinces.
The Ople Center, headed by former Labor
Undersecretary Susan Ople, said it was informed that the Philippine
Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia has agreed
to conduct regular consultations to ensure the humane treatment as
well as safe and orderly exit of affected Filipinos.
“In the absence of clear and viable
alternatives, these returnees may be left with little choice but to
return illegally to Sabah, or join the rebels and bandits hiding in
the jungles of Mindanao,” the center said in its statement.
From January to May 2008 and from Kota Kinabalu
only, around 9,670 illegal foreigners were deported to their home
country. Out of this number, 6,925 were Filipinos and 2,335 were
Indonesians.
“Does the government have a tracking system in
place to ensure that these returning Filipinos are able to ease
their way into the mainstream?” the center said.
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