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By Katrice R. Jalbuena, Reporter
Migrante, an alliance of
organizations composed of overseas Filipino workers’ groups and
their families, are pressing the Arroyo government for the immediate
repatriation of OFWs stranded in Jeddah.
They will conduct a protest
action on Monday, March 17. The day falls on the 13th anniversary of
the hanging of Flor Contemplacion, an OFW executed in Singapore in
1995 for the alleged murder of Delia Maga, a fellow domestic.
There are now an estimated 250
stranded OFWs caught in immigration raids and now imprisoned in the
Jeddah Deportation Center. Latest reports from Migrante-Saudi Arabia
indicate that 32 OFWs are set to be transported to Riyadh, about 12
hours away, with their hands and feet handcuffed.
These stranded OFWs earlier
camped out under the Al Kandhara Bridge in Jeddah and eventually in
front of the Philippine Consulate. They included a one-year-old and
a nine-month-old baby.
Some 20 stranded women OFWs are
at a shelter run by the Philippine Consulate.
The OFWs are unable to leave the
country because of the lack of an exit visa, which is granted by the
employer. They also lack funds to repatriate themselves. Many do not
have passports which were confiscated by their employers upon
arrival. Upon leaving their employers, their working permit was also
revoked by their employers.
Stranded OFWs oftentimes ran away
from their employers because of alleged unfair labor practices and
other abuses.
“After many months of living
under a bridge, camping out in front of the Philippine consulate and
now imprisoned in a deportation center —diplomatic intervention at
the highest level is needed. Possible actions can include the
chartering of a flight to ensure the swift repatriation of all the
OFWs stranded in Saudi Arabia,” said Maita Santiago, Migrante
secretary-general.
The OFWs’ number has been
substantially lowered since some have agreed to be repatriated
voluntarily in the past by having their case fully documented, some
say, at the risk of not being able to return to Saudi Arabia.
Many of these OFWs were
victimized by illegal recruiters and have entered Saudi Arabia
through irregular channels. These account for the OFWs’ aversion
to the formal repatriation proceedings.
Migrante and the families of the
stranded OFW’s are questioning why the government has been so slow
to lend assistance.
In various statements, the
Department of Foreign Affairs has said that the stranded OFW’s
still have to go through the legal process of deportation before
they are repatriated, and the Consulate cannot just issue documents
to facilitate their immediate return.
Migrante wants the repatriation
process speeded up, saying that there is an available fund that can
be used for this purpose. Based on the Migrant Workers Act, the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration drew up a P100-million
Emergency Repatriation Fund that could be called to help any
stranded OFW.
“We remind Ambassador Villamor
and DFA Secretary Romulo that the highest priority of the DFA should
be the welfare of Filipino nationals overseas. Our foreign relations
should also be predicated on safeguarding the interests of our
kababayans,” stressed Santiago.
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