Group slams RP officials for OFW's death in Jeddah

MANILA, Philippines-A Middle East-based migrant workers’ organization urged Philippine embassy officials to reveal the conditions of distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) instead of sugar-coating the situation.

Migrante-Middle East issued the statement on Friday after the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah confirmed that an OFW died in a deportation cell earlier this month.

John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-ME’s regional coordinator said that Philippine officials in the oil-rich states do nothing else but deny or confirm reports.

"Then a lot of excuses will follow," Monterona added.

On Tuesday, Migrante International, the group’s umbrella organization, broke the news that a certain Ryan Castillo, 30, from Batangas City , died under harsh conditions in a Jeddah deportation cell.

Arman Navarro, a dump truck driver in Jeddah who was among the first batch of Filipinos repatriated to Manila this week, said that a friend of Castillo told him that the OFW had long been sick while inside the deportation cell but was not allowed to be sent to a hospital for treatment.

Esteban Conejos Jr, Foreign Affairs undersecretary for migrant workers affairs told GMANews.TV on Thursday that Castillo suddenly collapsed in jail. Responding personnel failed to revive the OFW.

Philippine consul general Ezzedin Tago only confirmed on Thursday that Castillo died on April 6 and admitted that the OFW was unaccounted for as he was not endorsed for deportation.

Castillo reportedly posed as a pilgrim who had lost his identification and turned himself in to expedite his deportation.

Because of this, the consulate was not able to endorse Castillo.

“If this has not been reported by Migrante to members of the Philippine press, Consul Tago will keep mum and would only exert little efforts to ease the deplorable conditions of the distressed OFWs inside the Jeddah deportation center," Monterona said.

Alarming cases of violence

According to Monterona, their group receives an average of three cases from OFWs a day.

“The rights violation committed against our fellow OFWs or even of other nationalities is quite alarming. Everyday, we are receiving E-mails and calls to an average of three cases from OFW victims asking for help and advise on what they should do on their respective cases," he explained.

Unable to receive help from the embassy, OFWs run to Migrante-ME’s Rights and Welfare Assistance Desk for assistance, Monterona claimed.

He added that some Filipino workers narrate how Philippine Embassy and Consulate officials even threaten them to be returned to their employer or send them to jails if they will not accept the so-called “amicable settlement" with their abusive employers.

“This neglectful support system, values and culture prevailing in Philippine Embassies and Consulates should be changed. And this could only be done if all the inept post officials abroad will be fired and be replaced by someone who has a heart and is willing to serve in the promotion and protection of OFWs rights and welfare ," he asserted.

Repatriation of OFWs

Monterona noted that their group has been calling for the immediate repatriation of distressed OFWs in Jeddah almost six months ago.

Most of these OFWs ran away from their ‘abusive’ employers and resided under the Al-Khandara flyover, awaiting arrest from the deportation police. Some of them also worked in Jeddah illegally.

“Six (6) months are a valuable time for the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah to do prove to OFWs and families that it can advance and protect OFWs welfare by immediately sending them home without wait of anything awful that might happen," Monterona said.

Philippine officials in Jeddah earlier explained that the Filipino workers need to secure exit visa’s prior to being repatriated. -Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more