Distressed OFWs from Jordan to come home

MANILA, Philippines - The eleven distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Jordan – four of them minors, including a two-year-old infant – will be arriving in the Philippines on Monday afternoon instead of Sunday evening, according to the office of Senate President Manny Villar.

In a text message Sunday, Ms Avic Amarillo, Villar’s media officer, said flight booking and completion on the documentation of the distressed OFWs caused the delay.

“There will be a little bit of delay (on their arrival) but hopefully lahat ng 11 makabalik, instead of five lang na earlier have been given the clearance to go home (There will be a little delay on their arrival but hopefully all the 11 distressed OFWs and not just the five earlier reported will be able to come home)," Amarillo said.

Villar shouldered the airplane tickets of the OFWs as revealed last Friday by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Amarillo said the distressed OFWs are set to arrive from Jordan via Thai Airways after being stranded in the Middle East kingdom for almost a year.

According to Amarillo, Villar chanced upon the distressed OFWs in Jordan while on his way to South Africa , where he attended the annual Interparliamentary Union (IPU) summit.

Earlier, an OWWA official said Villar has visited one of the OFW shelters in Jordan and met the distressed Filipino workers who asked assistance from the senator for their repatriation.

"Senator Villar visited our shelter house for distressed OFWs in Jordan where he saw our kababayan," said an OWWA official who asked not to be identified. "His office coordinated with our OWWA officers to process their documentation."

As of Friday, the official said so far five of the 11 OFWs have their documentation completed.

"Clear na yun lima (The five are already cleared)," the official had said Friday. "Hopefully we can complete the documentation of the remaining six OFWs on Saturday. We’re doing our best so they can be repatriated on Sunday."

Aside from the 11 distressed OFWs in Jordan, the OWWA official said there are six other distressed OFWs in Jeddah scheduled to be repatriated by April 25 – again with the intercession of Villar.

Earlier, Villar filed a resolution asking Senate to investigate how minors managed to pass the security of immigration officers at the airport.

"Parang may raket na ini-smuggle ang mga menor de edad o walang dokumentong mga OFW at nakakalusot sa immigration sa airport. Dahil sa mga bata sila, naaabuso sila sa bansa na pinupuntahan nila (There seems to be racket that allows minor or undocumented OFWs to be smuggled past immigration officers at the airport. And because they're young, they were abused in the countries they went to)," he said. - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV

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