Stand by your rights, RP envoy tells Pinoy expats

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has urged overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who claim to be victims of contract substitution to stand by their rights, a report said on Tuesday.

Online news site Khaleej Times quoted Ambassador Libran Cabactulan as saying Filipino workers must stand for their rights and report their situation to the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the consulate general in Dubai.

"They should know the officials and authorities where they can lodge their complaints and seek redress of their grievances," he said.

He issued this statement following a report published in Khaleej Times on Monday about the complaints of several Filipino workers about contract substitution.

Cabactulan said that during the pre-departure orientation (PDOS) in Manila, OFWs should make it a point to know the addresses of the Philippine Embassy and Consulate.

"Although the authorities in this country have good intentions, it's unfortunate that some unfavorable situations cropped up because of some people who are principally motivated in making more money and profit," he said.

He said the Filipinos were mostly shy by nature and were afraid to report they had become victims of contract substitution.

"They should come to us so we can see their documents before they sign them, so that we can determine if the case is really that of contract substitution or not," he noted.

"If it's contract substitution, we can fix responsibility on the employer and the manpower agency in Manila and their local partners.
We can cancel or revoke the licenses of the erring agencies, ban their local partners from further labor deployment, and ask the employers to give return tickets to the distressed workers," he said.

He said that in case the contract is not substituted, and the employer fails to fulfill the terms of the contract, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office — which represents the Philippine government— can help the distressed workers by bringing the case to the Ministry of Labor (MOL).

He also advised the distressed workers not to run away or abscond because they would be the ones to shoulder all their expenses in going back home as per the UAE labor laws.

"They should always coordinate with POLO and the UAE's MOL, and should bring the matters to the knowledge of the Philippine diplomatic posts in this country," he said. - GMANews.TV

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