Pinoy ‘illegals’ in Sabah given until October to fix papers
MANILA, Philippines - The Malaysian government has given undocumented Filipinos in Sabah until the end of October to regularize their stay and avoid deportation, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.
Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, said Filipinos can stay longer in Sabah if their employers will agree to sponsor them.
Conejos explained that the employers would have to write to the Sabah immigration authorities and register the Filipino worker. Sabah’s Department of Immigration will then send an acknowledgment receipt approving the employer’s application so that the Filipino worker can legally stay and work in the island.
“With the receipt of acknowledgment from the Department of Immigration, our embassy will now issue a passport to each of them because they have already been regularized," Conejos said.
A seven-man Philippine consular team in Sabah is processing the travel documents of the workers and providing assistance to the overstaying Filipinos who have been apprehended by authorities, Conejos added.
Conejos said the team will stay in Sabah until the end of October while there is an ongoing crackdown on illegal aliens, comprised mostly of Filipinos and Indonesians.
“This is to make sure that those who are given the chance to be regularized will be regularized," he said.
Quoting a Philippine Embassy report, Conejos said Sabah immigration authorities recently arrested 11,000 undocumented workers. Around 397 of this number were found to undocumented Filipinos.
“These are the guys now that we’re going to issue travel documents so they can be brought back to the Philippines," he said as he dismissed reports that arrested Filipinos were subjected to intimidation or harassment by immigration authorities.
Sabah, which is located south of Mindanao, is an island territorially disputed by the Philippines and Malaysia. A Philippine claim for sovereignty over island has remained dormant for decades in international courts.
Manila and Kuala Lumpur nearly severed its ties in 2003 after thousands of Filipinos who were expelled from Sabah allegedly suffered abuse in holding centers.
The Philippine government lodged a diplomatic protest against Malaysia as Filipino deportees accused Malaysian authorities of violating their human rights and subjecting them to torture.
Most of the undocumented Filipinos in Sabah hail from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and other far-flung provinces in the south that are among the Philippines’ poorest and constantly plagued by war.
There are about 200,000 undocumented Filipinos in Sabah mostly working in plantations, construction, trade and services sectors. - GMANews.TV
Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, said Filipinos can stay longer in Sabah if their employers will agree to sponsor them.
Conejos explained that the employers would have to write to the Sabah immigration authorities and register the Filipino worker. Sabah’s Department of Immigration will then send an acknowledgment receipt approving the employer’s application so that the Filipino worker can legally stay and work in the island.
“With the receipt of acknowledgment from the Department of Immigration, our embassy will now issue a passport to each of them because they have already been regularized," Conejos said.
A seven-man Philippine consular team in Sabah is processing the travel documents of the workers and providing assistance to the overstaying Filipinos who have been apprehended by authorities, Conejos added.
Conejos said the team will stay in Sabah until the end of October while there is an ongoing crackdown on illegal aliens, comprised mostly of Filipinos and Indonesians.
“This is to make sure that those who are given the chance to be regularized will be regularized," he said.
Quoting a Philippine Embassy report, Conejos said Sabah immigration authorities recently arrested 11,000 undocumented workers. Around 397 of this number were found to undocumented Filipinos.
“These are the guys now that we’re going to issue travel documents so they can be brought back to the Philippines," he said as he dismissed reports that arrested Filipinos were subjected to intimidation or harassment by immigration authorities.
Sabah, which is located south of Mindanao, is an island territorially disputed by the Philippines and Malaysia. A Philippine claim for sovereignty over island has remained dormant for decades in international courts.
Manila and Kuala Lumpur nearly severed its ties in 2003 after thousands of Filipinos who were expelled from Sabah allegedly suffered abuse in holding centers.
The Philippine government lodged a diplomatic protest against Malaysia as Filipino deportees accused Malaysian authorities of violating their human rights and subjecting them to torture.
Most of the undocumented Filipinos in Sabah hail from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and other far-flung provinces in the south that are among the Philippines’ poorest and constantly plagued by war.
There are about 200,000 undocumented Filipinos in Sabah mostly working in plantations, construction, trade and services sectors. - GMANews.TV
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