4 OFWs in Jeddah clear Consulate, say they were not kicked out of premises

The four Filipino workers who accused the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah of dragging them and throwing them out of its premises have apologized and retracted their statements after their story went viral on social media.
 
In a joint statement, the four clarified that they were neither harmed nor forced out of the premises, where they sought refuge after the Filipino Worker's Resource Center (FWRC) refused their request for temporary lodging.
 
"Humihingi po kami ng sorry sa mga nasaktan namin lalo na sa Consulate, tutal sinabi [na] po sa amin na aayusin [na] ang mga kaso namin na makauwi na kami ay okay na po sa amin," they said. 
 
"Sana wala na pong mga negative comments na sana maging clear na po sa lahat 'yun," they added.
 
The four had earlier claimed they were refused entry at the Consulate and were forcibly ejected from its premises. The story went viral on the Internet and had resulted in sharp criticisms against the government, particularly the Philippine Consulate and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
 
OWWA Welfare Officer Rosemarie Cleofe said the four were not allowed to enter the Consulate because it was already past office time when they arrived there.
 
"Pinalabas  po sila dahil sa tapos na ang oras ng trabaho at ang diplomatic security kailangan na i-secure ang Philippine Consulate pagkatapos ng oras ng trabaho," she said, adding the Consulate has a policy in extending assistance to OFWs in distress.
 
She explained that OFWs who run away from or are abandoned by their employers have 48 hours to report to the OWWA, unless they live in a remote location and could not reach the Consulate easily.
 
Cleofe said of the four OFWs, only one had been without accommodation for days after she was abandoned by her employer at the airport. The rest had been without employment for months already after they escaped from their employers.
 
Nevertheless, Cleofe said they are extending all the help they could give to the four OFWs. —RT/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN

Delegation said led by terror group’s Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; Wall Street Journal reports Hamas demanding 150 security prisoners for each female soldier A delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on a possible deal that would see the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. The delegation was led by Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, and included senior members Mousa Abu Marzook and Khalil al-Hayya, the Qatar-based Al-Araby news outlet reported, citing an unnamed Egyptian source. The Hamas officials met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, to discuss the details of a hostage deal proposal that was presented to the Gaza terror group earlier this week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The outline of the deal was drawn up during a meeting in Paris last week in the presence of Israeli and US officials, as well as Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, a
Read more

Biden said set to make push for demilitarized Palestinian state as part of new doctrine ---By LAZAR BERMAN

New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, who’s close to the US administration, says emerging doctrine would include Saudi-Israeli normalization, 2-state solution, and campaign against Iran US President Joe Biden’s administration is homing in on a new doctrine involving an unprecedented push to immediately advance the creation of a demilitarized but viable Palestinian state, The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman reported on Thursday. The plan, Friedman wrote, “would involve some form of US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that would come into being only once Palestinians had developed a set of defined, credible institutions and security capabilities to ensure that this state was viable and that it could never threaten Israel.” White House officials “have been consulting experts inside and outside the US government about different forms this recognition of Palestinian statehood might take,” revealed Friedman. What he termed the new “Biden Doctrin
Read more