Pinoy workers in Sabah in fix over passport

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of Filipinos staying and working illegally in Sabah found themselves in a fix after Philippine officials refused to issue them Philippine passports.

Online Malaysian news site Daily Express reported Friday that a Philippine embassy official said the workers should first prove they are genuine Filipino citizens.

"They must have proof of documents such birth certificates or even expired passports to verify that they are from the Philippines," said the Philippine Embassy official, who was not named.

Several Filipinos who were unable to produce the required documents were those who arrived in Sabah via the backdoor.

Others destroyed their travel documents in the hope of staying on in Sabah by getting their hands on fake or dubious documents.

But those who can convince embassy officials about their identity are issued one-way Special Travel Documents (STDs) back to Philippines through Zamboanga.

State Immigration Director Datuk Baharon Talib said those with STDs could still be arrested and treated as illegal immigrants if they did not leave the state quickly.

Baharon also said the Ops Bersepadu that started last Aug. 5 was not an amnesty for illegal immigrants but is an opportunity for employers to legalize their foreign workers within a three-month period.

He said if the Philippine Embassy failed to issue passports to their nationals, then they could not be employed legally and would be arrested.

The illegals arrested during the on-going Ops Bersepadu would be deported after their respective embassies had issued them with STDs.

Under Ops Bersepadu, employers are allowed to secure the release of their illegal Filipino and Indonesian workers if they obtained valid passports for the issuance of work permits.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said last month that foreigners arrested during the on going Ops Bersepadu would be barred from re-entering Malaysia, particularly Sabah.

Najib said all foreigners deported would have their particulars documented and their fingerprints recorded using the a biometric system.

On the other hand, Philippine embassy officials in Kota Kinabalu declined comments on the procedure involved in the issuance of Philippine passports to their nationals. - GMANews.TV

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