9 OFWs, including minors, repatriated from Jordan

MANILA, Philippines - Nine overseas Filipino workers, including at least three minors, are back in the Philippines after being stranded in Jordan for almost one year.

The nine arrived Monday after Senate President Manuel "Manny" Villar financed their repatriation.

Villar offered to take up the cudgels for the distressed repatriates after he personally witnessed in October last year the conditions of around 200 OFWs stuck in Jordan, the dzBB report said.

The Senate president, who welcomed the OFWs at the airport's Dignitary's Lounge at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), lamented the fact that three of the OFWs were allowed to work abroad despite being minors.

Villar said Immigration officials could have possibly colluded to allow the minors to work and leave the country despite their age.

When asked in a radio dzBB interview how she got herself to work abroad despite being underage, all a 13-year-old repatriate could say was, "Ewan ko po. Hindi ko po alam (I don't know)."

The unnamed teenager, who hails from North Cotabato province, said in the dzBB radio interview that she was promised job once in Jordan.

"Naglalaba po at naglilinis po (I do the laundry and clean the house)," the girl described her work in the Middle Eastern country.

In her travel passport, the girl was declared to be 24 years old even as dzBB's Lito Laparan described the girl as looking way younger.

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 minors 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.- GMANews.TV

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