DFA assures help for 20 OFWs hoodwinked in Sudan

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday said it is already taking the necessary measures to assist the 20 overseas Filipino workers in Sudan who are reportedly being abused by their employer.

DFA spokesman Claro Cristobal said in an interview that the government is finding it difficult to coordinate with the OFWs considering that the Philippines does not have an embassy in the African nation.

However, Cristobal told GMANews.TV said that they have already asked Filipino diplomats from the nearby Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt to fly to Sudan and come to the aid of the Filipinos.

Meantime, Cristobal said they have carried out the initial stage of extending assistance to the 20 Filipinos, whose identities the DFA has yet to verify.

"We have taken the first task in assisting them by making contact with an honorary consul in Sudan," Cristobal said.

An appointed honorary consul, according to Cristobal, is a native of the host country who is requested to assist the OFWs on behalf of the government until an accredited consular team reaches the area.

He, however, did not deny the fact that the absence of a Philippine ambassador to Sudan, "limits the speed and extent of the assistance."

Meanwhile, DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo told radio dzMM in an interview that they will be taking care of the 20 Filipinos's travel documents as well as their repatriation expenses.

The DFA's Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs said that they were informed about the condition of the Filipino laborers on Friday last week.

DFA officials were able to speak on the phone with one of the OFWs, who said that they were tricked by their recruitment agencies in the Philippines into believing they will immediately land good jobs once in Sudan.

The Filipino laborers said they were not being paid their salaries on time and were being deprived of an overtime pay. They were also only allowed to eat twice a day.

Without money in their pockets and already starving, the group of OFWs said they will be forced to leave their employer's compound if the Philippine government fails to extend assistance to them soon, the dzMM report said.

But upon getting wind that the group of Filipinos are mulling on seeking help from the authorities, their employer reportedly moved for the cancellation of their travel permits.

Cristobal, however, assured that the consular team that will be sent to Sudan will immediately coordinate with the Sudanese immigration to work out the exit visas of the Filipinos, if ever they decide to leave the African country.

But the Filipino worker contacted by the DFA was quoted as saying they are willing to go back to their work but are considering on lodging complaints against their employer.

For its part, the Overseas Workers Welfare Authority also told GMANews.TV they have yet to confirm the identities of Filipinos but expressed concern about OWWA also not having any overseas post in Sudan. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV

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